Sasha CampbellA large earwig infestation can damage garden crops. As a result, you must get rid of them if you spot many of these pests.
Earwigs (pincher bugs) fall into the insect order Dermaptera [1]. They are found on every continent except Antarctica because they cannot handle the cold temperatures.
How to Get Rid of Earwigs Naturally
Below are some of the best solutions to get rid of earwigs in the garden, potted plants, and home organically.
1. Soapy Water
This solution is a simple home remedy for earwigs in the garden.
Mix a tablespoon of organic liquid dish soap with a quart of water and pour it into a spray bottle.
Next, spray the soapy water solution directly on earwigs. It will kill them on contact.
2. Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
Diatomaceous earth works great because it will kill earwigs after they come into contact with it.
Sprinkle food-grade DE around the roots of your crops, potted plants, and other areas where you’ve seen the pests.
You can also make it into a spray for your plants. Read more about how to make diatomaceous earth spray and use it in the garden.
This DE is our recommended brand for outdoor use. Diatomaceous earth can also kill earwigs in bathrooms and other personal spaces (like mailboxes).
3. Essential Oils
This remedy repels rather than kills earwigs, but anything that helps keep them away is helpful.
To use essential oils to get rid of earwigs, mix 15 drops of oil, such as lavender, basil, peppermint, cinnamon, or clove, with 4 ounces of water. Next, add the mixture to a spray bottle and spray it where the earwigs hide.
The scent of these essential oils repels pests like earwigs. This natural earwig repellent is excellent for both indoor and outdoor use.
4. Vinegar
Vinegar is a good DIY treatment for earwigs. You can mix it with water and spray it around the house.
Combine equal parts white vinegar and water in a container. Use the solution to wipe down areas that earwigs might use to enter your home.
The scent of the vinegar will deter them.
5. Vacuuming
Vacuum up the pincher bugs and their eggs, and discard them in a sealed bag. You can also dispose of them in a container of soapy water to suffocate and kill them.
6. Natural Predators
There are also a few natural earwig predators.
In some areas, tachinid flies have proven to be the most effective predators of earwigs. However, other natural predators exist, such as frogs, spiders, centipedes, and parasitic wasps.
7. Light Trap
Mix a large bowl of dish soap and water and use it to get rid of an earwig infestation. Next, place the bowl outside where the insects are active at night.
Position a bright light over the container to attract earwigs. The light will attract them, and they will drown in the solution after falling in.
8. Oil and Soy Sauce Trap
For this bait-and-trap recipe, mix soy sauce and vegetable oil (50:50). Pour the solution into a container with a porous lid.
Next, bury the container in the ground, ensuring the lid matches the soil level.
Pincher bugs weirdly love the smell of soy sauce and will crawl in to get it. However, the oil will prevent them from crawling back out.
9. Birds
Another method to control earwigs organically is to attract birds.
Birds that may eat earwigs include bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, and wrens. Therefore, try to attract birds to your garden.
10. Newspaper Trap
This method is a good use of old newspapers, as they make a nice trap for earwigs when damp.
Roll several newspapers up, ensuring they’re loose so the pests can get into all the folds. Next, wet the newspapers enough to make them damp and place them around the garden at night.
In the morning, immerse the newspaper rolls in a pan of soap and water. The soapy water will kill the earwigs inside.
11. Baking Soda
Yet another great use of baking soda in the vegetable garden is that it is poisonous to many insect pests.
However, baking soda alone will not kill earwigs. Mixing it with soapy water gets the job done.
Add one tablespoon of baking soda to a spray bottle filled with a gallon of water. Next, add two tablespoons of liquid soap and shake well.
Use this homemade earwig killer spray on your plants infested with earwigs.
To prevent earwigs from coming up, add one part baking soda to three parts soapy water and pour it down the drain.
12. Beer
You can also make a DIY earwig trap using beer.
Bury several empty cans of beer and ensure they are about 1/4 inch below the soil line. Next, pour some stale beer into each container.
The smell of the beer will lure in these pests. They will then fall in and drown.
This beer trap also works excellently for slugs and snails.
13. Sticky Traps
Place duct tape (sticky side up) on pieces of cardboard and place them around your plants. Earwigs may get stuck on them, especially if there is an infestation.
Alternatively, you can buy professional earwig traps like the Stiky Tree Wrap online.
14. Repellent Plants
Certain plants repel earwigs from your garden. These include garlic, bay leaves, peppermint, and wormwood.
When possible, use these as companion plants in your garden.
Also, planting herbs and flowers like calendula, fennel, alyssum, and dill will likely attract the tachinid fly, the earwigs’ greatest enemy.
15. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are great for repelling pests like mosquitoes, snails, and beetles. However, you can also use coffee grounds to get rid of pincher bugs naturally.
They hate the intense odor that coffee grounds give off. Therefore, you can sprinkle some at potential entry points to prevent earwigs from entering your home.
16. Rubbing Alcohol
Another homemade earwig spray you can make is a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water.
Just pour equal parts rubbing alcohol and water into a spray bottle, shake it up, and use it to spray.
It, too, will kill them on contact.
17. Azera
Azera is an excellent organic earwig pesticide that is safe to spray on plants, even on the day of harvesting.
Pyrethrins and azadirachtin are the main ingredients in this natural insecticide. You can use it on most fruit and vegetable crops.
Takeaway
Whether you call it an ear wick bug, an ear wings bug, a scissor bug, or a pincher bug, the earwig is an insect that can cause damage to your plants. Earwigs may also become pests in your home.
Using one or more control methods listed above will help control them naturally.
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