How to Get Rid of Earwigs in Your House (Traps That Actually Work)

Few household pests inspire as much dread as the earwig — a dark, fast-moving insect with prominent rear pincers that looks like it crawled out of a nightmare. Let’s clear up the biggest myth first: earwigs do not crawl into ears, and their pincers can’t seriously hurt you. The pincers are defensive tools used on other insects, and at worst they deliver a mild pinch if you handle one roughly.

What earwigs do is invade damp areas of your home in surprisingly large numbers — bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and laundry rooms — and once they’re in, they hide in every crack and crevice they can find. The good news: earwigs are moisture addicts, and a combination of simple DIY traps plus moisture fixes eliminates them reliably without needing professional help.

This guide covers the traps that actually work (including the famous oil-and-soy-sauce trap), the moisture fixes that keep them out, and what to do about the damp conditions they’re signaling.

Why Earwigs Are in Your House

Earwigs live outdoors in mulch, leaf litter, and under stones and logs, feeding on decaying organic matter and small insects. They come inside for three reasons:

• Moisture: they’re highly prone to drying out, so they seek damp environments — leaky pipes, humid basements, wet bathrooms.
• Shelter: they hide in tight, dark cracks during the day and forage at night.
• Weather pressure: heavy rain floods their outdoor hiding spots and drives them inside; drought sends them hunting for moisture indoors.

Finding earwigs regularly indoors almost always means there’s a moisture problem worth fixing — same story as with centipedes and silverfish. The traps below handle the current population; the moisture work prevents the next one.

Trap 1: The Oil and Soy Sauce Trap (Most Effective DIY)

This is the earwig trap that pest professionals and experienced homeowners swear by. It’s cheap, non-toxic, and catches impressive numbers.

How to make it

1. Take a small, shallow container — a tuna can, a small plastic tub, or a disposable food container.
2. Pour in about half an inch of vegetable oil (any cheap cooking oil works).
3. Add a splash of soy sauce — the fermented smell is the attractant that draws earwigs in.
4. Bury or set the container so the rim is level with the floor or soil surface — earwigs walk along edges and fall in. If setting it on a hard floor indoors, you can cut a small entry notch in the rim or lean a piece of cardboard as a ramp.
5. Place traps where you’ve seen earwigs: along baseboards, under sinks, behind toilets, near basement walls, and outside along the foundation.

How to use it

• Check traps every 1–2 days. A heavy infestation can fill a trap surprisingly fast.
• Strain out the earwigs, top up the oil and soy sauce, and reset. Or simply discard and make fresh traps weekly.
• Keep trapping for 2–3 weeks after you stop catching them to be sure the population is truly down.
• Pet caution: place indoor traps where pets can’t reach them — dogs in particular may be attracted to the smell. Behind appliances, inside cabinets, or under furniture works.

Trap 2: Rolled Newspaper Traps

Earwigs love tight, damp hiding spots. Exploit that:

1. Lightly dampen a sheet of newspaper, roll it into a loose tube, and secure it with a rubber band.
2. Place the rolls in earwig hotspots before bed — along baseboards, in the garden bed against the house, near basement windows.
3. In the morning, pick up the rolls (earwigs will be hiding inside), drop them into a bucket of soapy water, and discard.
4. Make fresh rolls nightly for a week or two.

This trap doubles as a monitoring tool — the number caught each morning tells you whether the population is dropping.

Trap 3: Cardboard and Board Traps Outdoors

Lay flat pieces of cardboard, old boards, or folded burlap on the ground near the foundation in the evening. Earwigs gather underneath overnight. In the morning, lift and shake them into soapy water. This cuts down the outdoor population that’s pressuring your home.

The Moisture Fixes (What Actually Ends the Problem)

Traps remove earwigs; moisture control stops new ones from coming. Do both.

Inside the house

• Fix leaks promptly — dripping pipes under sinks, sweating toilet tanks, seeping basement walls. Every damp spot is an earwig invitation.
• Run bathroom exhaust fans during and after showers; consider a dehumidifier for chronically damp basements (keep humidity below 50%).
• Declutter damp areas — piles of wet laundry, stacks of cardboard on basement floors, and clutter under sinks all create earwig harborage.
• Don’t overwater houseplants, and let soil dry between waterings — soggy plant saucers breed earwig-friendly conditions.

Outside the house

• Pull mulch back 6–12 inches from the foundation — thick, damp mulch against the house is earwig headquarters.
• Clear leaf litter, boards, stones, and debris from foundation beds.
• Make sure gutters and downspouts direct water away from the foundation; fix grading so water doesn’t pool against the house.
• Trim vegetation touching the house — it holds moisture against siding and gives earwigs a bridge inside.
• Water gardens and lawns in the morning so surfaces dry by evening, when earwigs are active.

Sealing Entry Points

• Caulk gaps around pipes, vents, and cables entering the house.
• Repair torn window screens and add weatherstripping where you feel drafts.
• Install door sweeps on exterior doors — earwigs walk in under doors at night.
• Seal foundation cracks with concrete caulk.
• Check that crawl space vents have intact screens.

When to Consider Insecticide

Most earwig problems resolve with traps plus moisture control. If you’re dealing with a severe, persistent invasion after 3–4 weeks of diligent trapping:

• Food-grade diatomaceous earth dusted thinly in dry cracks and crevices along baseboards and behind appliances can help — it damages the earwig’s waxy outer layer so it dehydrates. Wear a dust mask and eye protection when applying, use only food-grade (never pool-grade), and keep it away from areas children or pets contact. It stops working when wet, so pair it with the moisture fixes above.
• Use a granular insecticide labeled for earwigs in a band around the home’s foundation exterior, per the label — this targets the outdoor population before it comes inside.
• For indoor crack-and-crevice treatment, choose a product labeled for earwigs and indoor use, apply only to cracks and crevices per the label, and keep children and pets away until dry.
• Read the entire label before buying or applying. The label is the law — rates, sites, and safety intervals matter.

What NOT to Do

• Don’t panic-spray baseboards at the first earwig sighting. Broadcast spraying indoors exposes your household to pesticide for a pest that traps handle better.
• Don’t use foggers. They don’t reach the cracks where earwigs hide and they coat your home in residue.
• Don’t ignore the moisture signal. Chronic earwig invasions point to dampness that can also mean mold or wood rot — worth investigating regardless.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do earwigs bite or pinch?

Their rear pincers (cerci) can give a mild pinch if you pick one up, but they don’t seek out people, don’t bite, and can’t break skin in any meaningful way. They’re harmless to humans and pets.

Do earwigs really crawl into ears?

No — this is an ancient myth with no basis in reality. Earwigs have no interest in human ears.

Why are there suddenly dozens of earwigs in my house?

Usually heavy rain flooding their outdoor shelters, or a new moisture source indoors (a leak, a humid spell, overwatered plants). Check for water first.

Will earwigs damage my plants or garden?

Outdoors, large populations can chew on soft seedlings, flowers, and vegetables. The board traps and mulch management above help in the garden too.

How long does it take to get rid of earwigs?

With traps set and moisture addressed, most homeowners see major improvement within 1–2 weeks and resolution within a month. Keep one or two traps as monitors for a few weeks after.

Related Guides

• How to Get Rid of Silverfish in the Bathroom — another moisture-driven pest with a similar dry-it-out strategy.
• Is Pest Control Safe for Pets? — what to know before placing any trap or treatment where pets roam.
• Spring Pest Prevention Checklist — seasonal moisture and exclusion habits that prevent earwig invasions.