Identify Bug Please

dougp23 · 06-24-2012, 08:37 AM

I have these in large numbers here and there in my yard, and now of course, they are getting into the house.

Any idea what these are?

thanks!

**oh'mike** · 06-24-2012, 09:21 AM

Earwig---( I think)--very common --they eat rotting vegetation and munch on some live plants.

Harmless to humans---clean up leaves and clutter around your foundation,deck and other areas near the house.

joecaption · 06-24-2012, 09:25 AM

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/earwig.htm

creeper · 06-24-2012, 09:41 AM

Definitely earwigs. They will be attracted into your house, on hot and humid nights, by lights. So turn outside ones off.

If they are eating your flowers, again active at night, spray them with a solution of a few drops of dishwashing liquid and water. Adding a few drops of mouthwash helps also. Its instant kill and won't hurt anything else

Every morning a bunch fall out when I open the keypad cover on the garage door opener. I've learned to extend a single finger with a quick flip

dougp23 · 06-24-2012, 11:49 AM

Thanks everyone! Was hoping it was something easy, and looks like it will be!

Thunder Chicken · 06-24-2012, 09:11 PM

Earwigs like nesting in moist mulch and yard litter and under flat rocks. If you have some piles of old leaves around the house you might want to rake them out. They have been a bit of a problem under my rhubarb and my raspberry plants (always moist and plenty of shelter), but otherwise they are harmless.

You can also use diatomaceous earth as a mechanical means of control. You can get it in most good garden centers. It is made up of microscopic diatom shells that can cut their exoskeleton and cause them to die by dehydration. You can safely sprinkle a little of this around doors and other entryways - it won't hurt you at all so long as you take care to not breathe in the dust. You can sprinkle it around plants to keep them from eating them, but it only works well when it is dry, so you have to reapply after rain.

walthill · 06-26-2012, 04:22 AM

Earwigs don't bite so they are safe, but if you are like me, any bug is a bad bug. YUCK! You can remove local infestations with the newspaper method:

"moisten the surface of a newspaper and place it near the infestation. Since earwigs are nocturnal generally, remove the paper in the morning after they have gone into the nooks of the pages."