Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS DEC Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator C1825832. Updated September 23, 2026.
Earwigs are the three-quarter-inch reddish-brown insects with a pair of pincers on the tail that turn up in Long Island bathrooms, basements and under the flowerpots. They live in damp mulch and leaf litter, come indoors when the weather outside gets too dry, hot or cold, and they're harmless.
| Size | About 3/4 inch long |
|---|---|
| Color | Reddish brown, with a pair of forceps-like pincers at the tail; curved on males, straighter on females |
| Look-alikes | Rove beetles (no pincers, run with tail raised); silverfish (silver, tapered, no pincers) |
| Where you'll find it | Under mulch, flowerpots, leaf litter and debris outside; bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements inside |
| Active on Long Island | May through October; indoors most in July and August during dry spells |
| Danger level | None; they can pinch if trapped but don't bite, don't spread disease and don't go in ears |
Earwigs are active outdoors on Long Island from May through October, and they move indoors in July and August when a hot dry stretch or a week of heavy rain drives them out of the mulch.
An earwig is about three quarters of an inch long, slender, reddish brown, with short wing covers and a pair of prominent pincers at the back end. UC IPM notes the pincers are curved on males and straighter on females. They hide by day and come out at night, so you find them under the flowerpot you just moved, in the mulch, under the doormat, or in the bathtub in the morning.
Two things that aren't earwigs: rove beetles, which run with the tail curled up and have no pincers, and silverfish, which are silver, tapered, and have three tail filaments instead of pincers. If it has pincers, it's an earwig.
Earwigs are a nuisance, not a threat. UC IPM notes they're generally incapable of attacking people, may pinch if trapped or sat on, and don't spread disease, and the old story about them crawling into ears is false. They eat living and dead plant material and decaying matter, and they also eat aphids and other soft insects, so in the garden they do some good along with the damage to seedlings and petals. Indoors they find little to eat and die within days. What an earwig problem tells you is that the foundation beds are damp and full of hiding places, and that the house has gaps at grade.
Yes. UC IPM's approach is to take away moisture and hiding places: pull mulch and dense groundcover back from the foundation, get rid of leaf litter, boards and debris, fix leaky spigots and irrigation, and switch to drip watering. Traps work well and cost nothing: a rolled damp newspaper or a short piece of bamboo laid in the bed at night, shaken into a bucket of soapy water in the morning, or a low can with an inch of vegetable oil. Seal cracks at the foundation, door sweeps and around pipes, and switch outdoor white lights to yellow bulbs.
Earwigs indoors don't need a spray. Vacuum them, dry out the basement or bathroom, and fix the outside. If they keep coming through the summer, the entry points and the foundation moisture are what we treat.
We treat the entry points, sealing gaps at the foundation, door thresholds and utility lines, and do a crack-and-void and perimeter treatment along the foundation beds where earwigs harbor. Earwigs are covered under general insect treatment, quoted in writing with no guarantee, because they come in from the yard all summer.
Related answers
No. The name comes from an old European folk belief, and UC IPM is direct that the myth is false. Earwigs hide in damp, dark, tight spaces during the day, which is why they're under flowerpots and in bathtubs, not in people.
They can pinch if they're trapped against skin or sat on, and it can startle you, but they don't bite, don't sting, don't spread disease and don't damage the house. A pinch from an earwig is less than a pinprick.
Because the mulch and beds outside got too hot and dry, or too wet, and the bathroom is the dampest, coolest room in the house. Earwigs come indoors when conditions outside turn against them, follow the foundation to a gap, and end up at the nearest water. They die indoors within days, but more follow until the outside is fixed.
Usually not. Pulling mulch back from the house, drying out the foundation beds, sealing gaps and setting newspaper or oil-can traps solves most earwig problems. If they keep coming all summer, the entry points and the foundation perimeter are what our general insect treatment covers.
Think you have earwigs? Call (516) 509-6001 for a free written quote.