What Gets Rid Of Pincher Bugs? | Quick Home Wins

Pincher bugs, also called earwigs, love damp, tight hideouts. They slip out after dark, nibble tender leaves, and sneak inside by mistake. If they’re swarming a bed, don’t panic. A simple plan works: dry the spots they need, give them places to hide that you control, and stop new ones at the door. This guide shows steps you can run tonight and habits that keep numbers low all season, right away.

Quick Plan: Stop, Trap, Block

Start with fixes that cut off food and shelter. Water early in the day, not at night. Pull mulch back six to twelve inches from a home’s foundation. Pick up boards, soggy cardboard, and plant piles. These small tweaks dry the places earwigs prefer and push them into your traps.

Next, trap at night where you see chewing or droppings. Use two kinds so you catch both climbers and crawlers: a rolled newspaper or short hose laid by plants, and a shallow can of vegetable oil with a splash of fish oil or bacon grease sunk to soil level. Check at dawn, dunk the catch in soapy water, and reset.

Finally, block new arrivals. Seal gaps at doors and pipes with caulk. Add door sweeps. Keep window screens tight. Inside, vacuum or sweep any stragglers. If pressure stays high outdoors, lay a dry dust barrier of diatomaceous earth along the outer edge of beds on a dry day.

Here’s a quick map of what works, where to use it, and what to watch for. Mix two or three methods at once for steady results.

Method	Where It Helps	Notes
Watering Schedule & Drainage	Beds, lawns, and foundations	Water early; fix leaks; keep a dry strip by walls.
Harborage Cleanup	Beds, patios, and woodpiles	Remove boards, weeds, and piles; lift pots on feet.
Exclusion & Sealing	Doors, vents, and slab gaps	Caulk joints; add door sweeps; screen wells and vents.
Night Oil Traps	Garden beds and patios	Shallow can with vegetable oil plus a drop of fish oil; sink rim level; empty daily.
Newspaper Or Hose Rolls	Beds and raised planters	Lay at dusk; shake into soapy water at dawn; replace nightly.
Diatomaceous Earth Band	Dry borders and fence lines	Thin, even dust on a dry day; reapply after rain; avoid blossoms.
Indoor Capture	Kitchens, baths, and basements	Vacuum first; place flat traps; empty outside.

Why Pincher Bugs Show Up Around Homes

Moisture draws them. Over-watering, leaky spigots, dense mulch, and clogged gutters create perfect hideouts. Daytime heat sends them under pots, edging, or door thresholds. At night they roam for tender growth or small insects and can slip through tiny cracks at ground level.

That’s why a dry border and tight seals matter. Trim vegetation that brushes the siding, fix irrigation aimed at the foundation, and keep soil and mulch below the bottom of the siding. Once the ground edge dries a bit, numbers drop fast.

What Kills Pincher Bugs Fast At Home?

Inside the house, speed beats spray. Grab a vacuum for baseboards, tubs, and window wells. Empty the canister outdoors. Add a flat sticky trap behind a toilet or vanity if you keep seeing a few each night.

For garages and entries, run oil traps at night and remove them each morning. Seal the threshold and the jambs, then set a rolled newspaper nearby for a safe, quick pick-up the next day. If you do choose an insecticide, select one labeled for earwigs or crawling insects and use it as a narrow crack-and-crevice treatment only. Keep kids and pets away until dry and always follow the label.

Best Night Traps That Work

Oil Can Trap

Oil can trap: press a shallow tuna or cat-food can into the soil so the rim sits at ground level. Fill it halfway with vegetable oil and add a drop of fish oil or bacon grease. Place cans near chewed plants at dusk. By morning you’ll have a tidy haul. Dump into soapy water, rinse, and rebait. The method comes straight from the UC IPM earwigs guide.

Newspaper Or Hose Trap

Newspaper or hose trap: roll a damp newspaper and secure it with a rubber band, or cut an eight-inch piece of garden hose. Lay it in the bed at dusk. At dawn, tap the roll or hose into a bucket of soapy water. Set fresh rolls nightly until counts fall. Simple and cheap.

Moisture Fixes And Entry Sealing

Water And Drainage

Water early so leaves and mulch dry before night. Switch sprinklers that hit walls or doors. Unclog gutters and add downspout extenders so water moves away from the slab. Fix drips at hose bibs. Thin heavy mulch around beds and pull it back from the foundation.

Seal Low Gaps

Seal the building envelope at ground level. Caulk cracks where siding meets the slab. Install door sweeps. Screen basement vents and window wells. Inside, add a dehumidifier to damp rooms if needed.

Diatomaceous Earth And Other Dry Barriers

How To Apply

Diatomaceous earth (DE) scratches the insect’s waxy outer layer, so they dry out. It only works when dry, so spread a thin dust on a rain-free day along outer bed edges, fence lines, and behind planters. Reapply after rain or heavy watering. A bulb duster helps lay an even band.

Safety Tips

Use products intended for insect control and follow the label. Avoid breathing dust. Keep the band narrow so you don’t dust flowers that feed pollinators.

When To Consider A Perimeter Spray

If trapping and moisture fixes aren’t keeping up during a surge, a perimeter treatment may help for a short stretch. Choose a product labeled for foundations or earwigs. Apply only to the base of the wall and cracks at ground level, and skip blooms. A single, careful pass is often enough once other steps are in place.

Running into snags? Use this cheat sheet to find the cause and the fix.

Problem	Likely Cause	Fix
Traps stop catching after rain	Oil or DE washed away; cool nights slow activity	Rebait; reapply DE when dry; keep trapping several nights.
New earwigs show up at doors	Gaps at threshold or siding joint	Add a sweep; caulk the joint; set traps outside until counts drop.
Seedlings chewed to stubs	Dense mulch holds moisture; hiding under collars	Pull mulch back; use plant collars; run traps overnight.
Pets reach oil traps	Fish scent attracts them	Cover cans with hardware cloth and a rock.
High counts under pots	Water collects under saucers	Lift pots on feet; empty saucers each morning.
Inside sightings every night	Indoor humidity or small leaks	Run fans; fix drips; use a dehumidifier.
Trap numbers don’t drop	Nearby piles keep feeding the population	Remove yard waste; change watering; add more traps for a week.

Common Myths, Clear Facts

They don’t crawl into ears to lay eggs. That old tale sticks because of the name, but it isn’t how these insects live. They can pinch if handled, yet they aren’t poisonous. In gardens they eat soft plant tissue and also scavenge other insects, so aim for steady control, not a scorched-earth approach.

Season-By-Season Pincher Bug Plan

Early season: set traps as soon as you see feeding on seedlings. Adjust watering and clean up plant piles. Seal low gaps while the weather is mild.

Peak season: refresh traps nightly, keep the dry border clear, and dust DE bands after rain. Move firewood and pots off bare soil. Consider one labeled perimeter pass only if traps and fixes aren’t holding the line.

Late season: keep doors sealed, store kindling away from walls, and reduce heavy mulch where you had trouble. A tidy fall cuts down next year’s hiding spots.

Safe, Labeled Use Comes First

Read The Label

Any pesticide you pick must match the site and the pest on its label. That label is a legal document, and it explains where and how to apply. Use the smallest amount that does the job, keep sprays off flowers, and never wash leftover mix into drains. Store products locked, in the original container, out of reach of kids and pets. For the rules and plain-English guidance, see the pesticide label law.

Where Earwigs Hide And How To Dislodge Them

Flip boards, stepping stones, and stacked pots in the morning and you’ll often find clusters underneath. Lift weed-barrier fabric edges, clear soggy leaves, and check under doormats. Shake insects into a bucket of soapy water, then lay your rolls and oil cans so the next wave goes where you want. Raise pots on feet so air moves under the saucer, and stack firewood off the ground. Keeping the first foot around the house dry and simple pays off fast.

Protecting Delicate Plants At Night

A light, dry ring of DE around seedlings on a dry day slows crawlers. Cardboard or paper-cup collars add a simple shield at the stem. At dusk, set both roll and oil traps around beds with favorite snacks like lettuce, strawberries, zinnias, or dahlias. Do a dawn patrol with a bucket and gloves, then track nightly trap counts for a week. When the numbers slide, ease back to maintenance trapping.

Stick with the routine for seven to ten nights, then taper to spot checks. Small, steady moves beat one big spray day. Log catches by bed or doorway so you can see which fixes worked and where to focus next. Keep going.