Earwig problems...please help!

I have the beginnings of an earwig infestation going on in my basement. Man do those things give me the willies! I have an finished apartment in the basement that is currently housing my foster kitties. Without fail I will find dozens of the nasty little things hiding under their water dishes and food dishes everyday.

Does anyone know of any kitty-safe methods to getting rid of earwigs...and preventing them from coming back. I don't want to put out any chemicals since they would all be harmful to the kitties.

Thanks everyone!

Ewww those things are so gross the cats won't even go near them! We used to get a lot in our old apartment. Unfortunately, I don't have any helpful tips. Perhaps a kind of glue trap would work? Do they have chemicals in them?

Earwigs are my top most disgusting "things!" I am so grossed out by them. I find them in my mailbox crawling in my mail all the time! YUCK!!!! My mom puts out an old sour cream container with the cover on, and punches little holes in it all around it, about an inch or so from the bottom. Then she puts soy sauce inside, about 3/4 inch high, just a little below the holes. They crawl in because of the smell, and since the holes are punched inward, they can't crawl out again and they drown in the soy sauce. Death by soy sauce. What a way to go...

Do a google search for earwigs. Many US universities have extension office's that put out fact sheets on cause and prevention. I do believe you have to treat for them noth inside and outdoors.

Yes and they love dark places like under bushes and in mulch. They also LOVE petunia plants. They can nestle their little nasty bodies right down in the flower and sleep there. Yick.

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

Earwigs are my top most disgusting "things!" I am so grossed out by them. I find them in my mailbox crawling in my mail all the time! YUCK!!!! My mom puts out an old sour cream container with the cover on, and punches little holes in it all around it, about an inch or so from the bottom. Then she puts soy sauce inside, about 3/4 inch high, just a little below the holes. They crawl in because of the smell, and since the holes are punched inward, they can't crawl out again and they drown in the soy sauce. Death by soy sauce. What a way to go...

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What an awesome idea....I'm sure vegetable oil or something similar would have the same impact. I hope the foster kitties don't think it's a toy. I just went down there (after cleaning the place to death last night) and when I turned the lights on i could see about a dozen of them running in all directions. I can almost feel my skin crawling still. I'm going to give that a try tomorrow. I'm worried about putting chemicals even outside since there are som many neighbourhood strays and outdoor cats. i would hate to poison anything. (plus our city is technically pesticide-free...so i'll have to find something natural)

EEEshhhh

Earwigs give me the wiggins.

As do cockroaches....they don't scare me but just give me the heeby jeebies....I hope you find something.

Well..when i was out staining my deck this afternoon I found several earwig motels int he lattice work. Needless to say I did the jump and scream in response! I went to the store for some bug spray and the lady at the hardware store said that she has an infestation too, and that tons of customers have been coming in for stuff. I guess since the spring was so damp and humid. Either way...i'm about ready to declare war on these little nasty buggers!!!

Yuck to bugs in general! This time of year, they really make their presence known around here, too, and, like you, I refuse to use any sort of pesticide around my girlies. That's a clever suggestion for a little trap!

i had to look it up to see what it is
and all i can say is
EWWWW

I think the time for natural extermination methods has passed. I went down there this evening to check on the fosters, opened the door and I must have seen 50 of them in one clump right under the sink, i found another group of 50+ behind the fridge. So disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had to take the fosters out of the basement (they are safely in my bedroom - i think i'm sleeping on the couch!), and I took some chemical insecticide and went nuts all over the basement. When I started spraying another 100 must have start fleeing from behind the baseboards....

I don't even know what to say anymore except.....EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I am going back to the home depot tomorrow to find some traps and more spray. I found a large amount of them living in my garden so i figure i better deal with all of them (inside and out). I feel terrible using chemicals...I hate doing it...but i don't know what else to do!!!!!!

Any other ideas anyone???? Please rescue me from my earwigs!

My husband works for (somebody edit this out if not allowed) Scotts Miracle Gro. They make Miracle Gro, Ortho and Round-Up products. I just went thru their 2006 product guide and they have a solution that will kill earwigs and is safe for animals (its permethrin (sp?) based) even used as a insect dust. Its an Ortho-branded product, you might give it a try...look at your local Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or Lowe's.

Thanks everyone. The fosters are safely removed in my room...howling at my two outside the room. My two outside are growling through the door at the fosters. I think it's gonna be a long night!

I sprayed with a general pesticide (aerosol) everywhere that I could find the little monsters. I'm going to check on the status down there tomorrow and then head out to walmart/homedopot after work. i will look into both of those products. My guess is I haven't found all of their hiding spots (I can't even lift one of the couches myself. God only knows where else they are hiding. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow....wish me luck! (i hope i can sleep with thoughts of all those creepy crawlies down there....bleck

Ew, they are nasty. We have loads of them outside, but thankfully none inside Whenever I find a nest of them, I just pick up my chicken and set her down next to it She eats those things all day long.

Originally Posted by Cougar

Ew, they are nasty. We have loads of them outside, but thankfully none inside

Whenever I find a nest of them, I just pick up my chicken and set her down next to it

She eats those things all day long.

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You have a pet chicken


That you can pick up....man the ones I've been around have always been right nasty toward me.....pecking at my heals...

That's cool

Originally Posted by ButterflyDream

You have a pet chicken

That you can pick up....man the ones I've been around have always been right nasty toward me.....pecking at my heals...

That's cool

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Mhmm, her name is Henny (original, no?) She used to be scared of people, but afters a couple years of living in our backyard she's about as tame as they come

Well...after a second round of spraying in the basement apartment I only saw maybe 2 or 3 earwigs. I vaccuumed up all the little corpses and started to feel somewhat relieved. My guess is I will have to go down there and do a spray every week or so until i get this under control.

New problem...I seem to have scared them out of the basement and into my part of the house. I think I am going to go nuts trying to get rid of these things , especially without harming my kitties. I never thought I would be longing for a deep freeze right about now!

If you look online for natural pesticides and Earwigs you will find many ideas.
Diatomaceous earth is a type of fossilized algae that resembles chalk dust. The fine, sharp-edged particles attach themselves to and penetrate the waxy coating on a flea's shell-like exoskeleton, causing the little bloodsucker to dehydrate and die.
This works for fleas for your cats, just sprinkle on carpet, leave overnight and vacuum. You can put it down under sinks, etc, where the cats won't get exposed to too much. a little won't hurt them. it even says to add a teaspoon to their food. It works for Earwigs too.
This is just one idea, but I know for myself many natural bug remedies have worked for me. One I know works very well is peppermint oil and ants. They run!! Hey, do some research on Petsmart, PETA has some info on their website, umm, so many sites, ASPCA, like Whole Foods, Humane Society, Organic Gardening , etc... Use search words in Google or other search engines like natural pesitcides, flea control, non-toxic pesticides, Ear wig control. Good luck! Just stay away from the poisons that kill insects and bacteria that are good too!
Nikele