Earwig control in Temecula, Murrieta and North County
Earwig control for homes across Temecula, Murrieta and the surrounding cities, from our 13-person team. We treat the damp mulch, ground cover and leaf litter along the foundation where earwigs spend the day, point out the irrigation and the gaps that bring them indoors, and come back on a plan if they're a seasonal problem at your house.
Earwigs are one of the 7 main pests we handle across Temecula, Murrieta and the rest of our 20 cities, and we treat them where they live, in the damp mulch and ground cover along the foundation. The technician treats that harborage, then shows you the irrigation and the door gaps that are letting them into the house.
What's included
Treatment of the mulch beds and foundation line
The technician treats the damp mulch, bark, ground cover and leaf litter along the foundation and the base of the block walls, which is where earwigs spend the day, with a product labeled for the purpose. Ask the technician to show you where he treated.
Finding the moisture that's feeding the problem
Earwigs can't live without damp shelter, so the technician looks at how the beds are watered. A drip line running every morning against the stucco, a leaking hose bib, a downspout dumping into a planter and a sprinkler head soaking the mulch are the common finds. UC IPM recommends keeping water away from the structure, and you'll get specific suggestions for your yard, such as moving a drip emitter or shortening a run time.
Hiding places cleared or pointed out
Stacked pavers, the board behind the shed, a pile of leaves in the side yard, dense ivy on the wall and the rolled-up garden hose on the ground are earwig hotels. The technician points them out and treats the ones that stay. UC IPM's advice is to remove weeds, debris, leaves and ground cover near buildings, and the fewer hiding spots within a few feet of the house, the fewer earwigs reach the door.
Entry points along the house
Earwigs come in under doors, through the weep screed where the stucco meets the slab, around utility lines and through gaps at the garage door seal. The technician points out the gaps he found during the inspection so you can seal them, and recommends door sweeps where daylight shows under a door. Keeping the gutters clear also removes a wet, leafy spot earwigs favor right against the house.
Earwigs on a regular plan
Earwigs come back with the seasons here, so they suit a plan, whether that's Monthly, Every Other Month or Quarterly, and if they reappear between scheduled visits the return trip costs nothing. Ask Jenni when you book how earwigs fit into a plan for your home. Earwig numbers rise and fall with irrigation, so the moisture changes you make between visits matter as much as anything the technician does.
How it works
Call and describe where they're turning up
Earwigs in the bathroom point to one entry, earwigs under every mat point to another. Tell Jenni where you're seeing them, how many and at what time of day, and how the beds around the house are watered. Call (951) 535-4220 Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm and she'll book the technician for the next open slot at your address.
Exterior inspection
The technician walks the foundation line, lifts a few stepping stones and checks under the mulch, the pots and the hose reel to confirm where the earwigs are sheltering. He'll also look at the irrigation, the downspouts and the gap under each exterior door.
Treatment of harborage and foundation
The technician applies a product labeled for the purpose to the mulch beds, ground cover, the base of the block walls and the foundation line, following the label. Inside the house, UC IPM recommends sweeping or vacuuming up the few earwigs already indoors instead of spraying the floors, and the technician points out the entry points they're using so you can seal them.
The days after the treatment
Before leaving, the technician shows you which beds and stretches of the foundation were treated, so ask then about your kids, pets and anything else you want to know, including how long to keep them away from those beds. You may see a few stragglers indoors for a short while. UC IPM notes they have little to eat indoors and don't last long once the supply from outside is cut.
Fix the moisture and the gaps
The lasting part is yours: shorten the drip run against the house, move the mulch back from the stucco, clear the leaf pile, fit the door sweep. The technician will point out what applies to your house. UC IPM notes earwigs move indoors when it gets too hot, too dry or too cold outside, so the summer heat and the winter cold snaps are when those fixes pay off.
More about earwig control
Earwigs are the pest that makes people jump. UC IPM is blunt about them: the pincers might look ferocious, but earwigs aren't harmful to people. What they are is numerous. Earwigs need moisture and shade, and UC IPM notes they spend the day hidden in damp mulch, leaf litter, under boards and stepping stones and in dense vines and weeds, then come out at night to feed. In Murrieta, Temecula and Menifee that describes almost every planter bed along a foundation, where the drip line runs every morning, the bark mulch stays damp under the shrubs and the block wall holds the shade until noon. From there it's a short walk under the stucco weep screed or through the gap beneath the sliding door into the kitchen. UC IPM explains that earwigs move indoors when it gets too dry, too hot or too cold outside, which in this valley means the first heat wave in June and the first cold snap in December both send them in. A dozen in the bathroom sink one morning is the usual way people find out they have a problem.
UC IPM recommends dealing with the hiding places and the moisture instead of spraying the kitchen floor. It says indoor pesticide use isn't recommended for earwigs because it doesn't stop them coming in, so the work happens outside. We treat the mulch beds, ground cover, the base of the block walls and the foundation line where earwigs shelter, with a product labeled for the purpose and applied by its label, and then the technician walks you around the house and points at what to change. The drip run that soaks the stucco, the downspout that empties into a planter, the leaf pile behind the shed and the rolled-up hose on the ground are the things that keep a population going, and most of them cost nothing to fix. Earwigs sit alongside spiders, ants, wasps, rats, mice and termites on our list of main pests, so this is routine work for our technicians, and every one of them holds a California licence.
We work from 29990 Technology Dr Ste 13 in Murrieta, and from there we reach 20 cities, including Winchester, French Valley, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, San Jacinto and Corona, plus Fallbrook, Escondido and the rest of North San Diego County. Jared Brown has been in pest control for 27 years, and we listen first, which on an earwig job means asking how your beds are watered before anyone reaches for a sprayer. People tell us they picked us because we come out fast. If earwigs are showing up in the bathroom sink, in the mail slot or under the welcome mat every morning, call (951) 535-4220 Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm and Jenni will find you a slot. Let her know where you're seeing them and how the beds around the house are watered, because that's where the answer is, and ask whether a plan makes sense if they come back at your house every summer.
What do people ask about earwig control?
Are earwigs dangerous? Do they pinch or bite?
Not in any way that matters. UC IPM states that earwigs aren't harmful to people despite the pincers, and that even large numbers are annoying without being a health hazard. They don't damage the structure either. The problem is numbers. A damp planter bed in Murrieta can hold a lot of them, and when the weather turns hot or cold they move indoors looking for shelter, which is when people call us.
Why do I have so many earwigs this year?
Moisture. Earwigs need damp, shaded hiding places, and UC IPM lists mulch, leaf litter, boards and dense ground cover as their daytime shelter. A wet winter followed by daily drip irrigation against the foundation gives them exactly that. A new layer of bark mulch, ivy that's filled in along the block wall, or a leaking hose bib can turn a few earwigs into a lot. The technician finds which of those is yours.
Why are earwigs coming inside my house?
Because outside got too hot, too dry or too cold. UC IPM explains that earwigs move indoors when outdoor conditions become uncomfortable, which in this valley is the first heat wave of summer and the first cold nights in December. They come in under doors, through the stucco weep screed and around utility lines. Treating the beds where they live and sealing those gaps stops the flow.
Should earwigs be sprayed inside the house?
UC IPM doesn't recommend it. Indoor pesticide use isn't recommended for earwigs because it doesn't stop them coming in. The ones already inside can be swept or vacuumed up and die off on their own, since they have little to eat indoors. Treating outside, in the mulch beds, ground cover and foundation line where earwigs shelter by day, is what stops the next ones arriving.
Can I control earwigs myself?
You can reduce them a lot. UC IPM recommends trapping with rolled newspaper or short sections of hose laid in the beds at dusk and shaken into soapy water in the morning, or a low can of vegetable oil sunk into the soil. Clearing leaves, boards and ground cover near the house and keeping water off the foundation matters more than any trap. What we add is the treatment of the harborage and the eye for where they're getting in.
Is an earwig treatment a problem for my kids and pets?
The treatment goes on the mulch beds, ground cover and foundation line outside, where earwigs shelter. Our technicians hold California licences and apply each product according to its label. Before leaving, the technician points out exactly which areas were treated and tells you when kids and pets can go back near those beds, because that wait is set by the label of the product he used.
How do earwigs fit into regular pest service?
Earwigs are one of the 7 main pests we handle. When earwigs reappear before the next scheduled visit, we come back at no charge. Ask Jenni at (951) 535-4220 what a plan covers for earwigs at your house, and tell her where you're seeing them and how the beds are watered, because the watering is usually the first thing the technician will want to change.
Seeing pests? Tell us what and where.
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