704-636-0674

Home

About Us

Contact Us

Services

Staff

Pest Guide

Safety

Links

Feedback

Earwigs, Crickets, and Silverfish

Adult Earwig - Female & Male

Earwigs may cause alarm to homeowners when discovered indoors. They have a frightful appearance, move rapidly around baseboards at the ground level, and may emit a foul-smelling, yellowish-brown liquid from their scent glands. These creatures, active at night while hiding during the daytime, normally live outdoors and do not establish themselves indoors. They are harmless to humans and animals, although if handled carelessly, the earwig can give a slight pinch with the forceps. Serious feeding damage may occur on flowers, vegetables, fruits and other plants, giving the leaves a ragged appearance with the numerous, small, irregular holes. Also, decomposing organic matter is consumed. They are considered temporary pests in spite of the fact that they sometimes occur in large populations.

Identification

Earwigs are elongate, flattened insects, ranging from light red-brown to black and are easily recognized by their forcep-like appendages (pincers) on the end of the abdomen. The forceps (cerci) are unequal in length in the males. Earwig female forceps are straight-sided, whereas male forceps are strongly curved (caliper-like) and larger. They have chewing mouthparts and long, slender antennae and are either winged or wingless. If wings are present, the first pair are hard, short and "beetle-like," while the second pair are membranous, fan-shaped and folded under the hard first pair of wings. Tips of the second pair of wings usually protrude from under the first pair. The European earwig ranges from 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, with banded legs and reddish head. The ringlegged earwig ranges from 1/2 to 3/5 inch long and is black-yellowish underneath with legs having dark crossbands. Young earwigs (nymphs) are similar to adults. They are white to olive-green and lack wings.

Life Cycle and Habits

The name earwig is derived from a European superstition that these insects enter the ears of a sleeping person and bore into the brain. This belief is totally unfounded. Earwigs develop from egg to adult through gradual metamorphosis with four to five nymphal instars or stages. During the spring or autumn, females lay 20 to 50 smooth, oval, pearly-white or cream-colored eggs in a below-ground chamber (upper two to three inches of soil). The female moves, cleans, and provides maternal care by protecting the eggs and new young until the first molt. Young then leave the nest, fend for themselves and mature in one season. Both eggs and adults overwinter. Earwigs may dig as deep as six feet below ground to escape the cold temperatures. They are active at night and are often found around lights. During the day, they hide in moist, shady places beneath stones, boards, sidewalks and debris. They are rapid runners and feed on mosses, lichens, algae, fungi, insects, spiders and mites, both dead and alive. Some earwigs are predators, feeding on aphids and others feed on living plants, becoming pests in greenhouses and on certain crops such as vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, forages and field plants.

Earwigs rarely fly and are unable to crawl long distances, but often hitchhike in laundry baskets, cut flowers, luggage, newspapers, lumber, baskets of fruits and vegetables, automobiles, etc. They prefer moisture and may migrate indoors during periods of prolonged heat and drought. Forceps at the end of the abdomen are used to defend the nest, capture prey, probe narrow crevices and fold or unfold wings.

Earwigs require moist, cool places and are found in damp crawl spaces, flower gardens near the home, in mulches, compost piles, trash, under boards and in wood piles. After entering houses, they feed on sweet, oily or greasy foods or houseplants. They are attracted to lights.

Control Measures

For best control indoors, one must first control earwigs outdoors. Since they are attracted to lights, reduce lighting around doors, windows and other potential entry sites. Use good night light discipline and special sodium vapor yellow lights (less attractive to insects) instead of white, neon or mercury vapor lights.

During dry, hot weather, earwigs sometimes migrate indoors. They are easily killed by residual insecticide treatments in cracks and crevices, along baseboards, beneath cabinets, along door and window sills and other hiding places during the day. Unfortunately, control will be short-term due to new earwig entry from outdoors.

Prevention

Earwigs need and are very attracted to moisture. High populations, practically invisible during the day, may be present around foundations, in landscaped yards, in mulch, under boards, etc. Be sure to eliminate damp, moist conditions in crawl spaces under houses, around faucets, around air-conditioning units and along house foundations. Rain gutters and spouts should carry water away from the house foundation. Use caulking compound, putty and weather stripping around doors, windows, pipes and other entry sites, especially at the ground level. Change landscaping by creating a clean, dry border immediately around the foundation wall. Gravel or ornamental stones can make an attractive barrier against earwigs and other pest invaders.

Insecticides

There are many insecticides labeled for earwig control. Indoor treatments should supplement outdoor treatments since earwigs do not become established indoors. Dusts and residual sprays are effective when applied to baseboards, beneath cabinets and other hiding places at the floor level.

Indoors, treatments of bendiocarb (Ficam), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), diazinon, propoxur (Baygon), pyrethrins, boric acid dust, diatomaceous earth dust or resmethrin into cracks and crevices will give control. Outdoors, treat the building adjacent to the foundation (perimeter treatment) to stop or limit earwigs from getting indoors. Apply, if needed, beginning around the end of spring and throughout the summer to the building foundation, subfloor crawl spaces, flower beds, turf or mulch in late afternoon. Apply during late spring and summer to control young earwigs. Water the dust or granule formulation into the soil. Avoid injuring ornamental plantings or flowers around the house. Always read the pesticide label and follow directions and safety precautions.

Crickets

Description and Life Cycle

Crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, most members of which have enlarged hind legs, adapted for jumping. In addition, members of this group possess opaque, leather-like forewings that cover a pair of clear, membranous hindwings. Most crickets are nocturnal, whereas their grasshopper cousins are active only during the daytime. Members of the cricket family usually have very long antennae and their wings have the front margin folded sharply over the side of the body, giving them a "boxlike" appearance. Female crickets are characterized by having long, spear-shaped ovipositers, used for egg-laying.

Crickets are sometimes confused with cockroaches, especially the Oriental cockroach, often referred to as the "water bug." Crickets may be distinguished from cockroaches by their enlarged hind legs and the fact that their bodies are not flattened from top to bottom like those of cockroaches.

Male crickets can "sing," the song produced by either rubbing a leg against a wing or by rubbing one wing against another. This process, called "stridulation", results in a series of chirps. The chirp's function is to attract the female cricket to the male. Each species has a characteristic chirp that is recognized and responded to only by females of the same species. The sound receptor or "ear" of the cricket is located on the front side of the foreleg, and consists of a small pit with a thin, drumlike membrane stretched across the top. The membrane picks up the vibrations of the chirp and transmits them to a sensory nerve, which relays the message to the brain.

Once the female cricket is mated, she seeks loose, friable soil in which to deposit her eggs. The ovipositor is then thrust into the ground and the eggs (150 to 400) are deposited. Unlike grasshoppers, the eggs are laid singly, and are not cemented together in "pods." The over-wintered eggs hatch in May and June and the young crickets work their way to the soil surface. Young crickets closely resemble adults, but they are smaller and do not have fully developed wings or functional sexual organs. Since wings are not completely developed and functional until sexual maturity, immature crickets cannot stridulate or "sing." Between feeding periods, the young insects molt from 8 to 10 times, growing a little more at each molt. Most crickets mature in August and September. There is normally only one generation each year.

Damage

Crickets have been known to damage plant seedlings, seeds of grain crops and alfalfa, strawberries, tomatoes, and other horticultural crops. In addition, crickets can damage stored tubers or fruits. In hay meadows, crickets often chew through baler twine. On the positive side, crickets often eat large numbers of other insects, some of which are agricultural pests.

In homes, crickets sometimes chew on clothing, draperies, or furniture (upholstery). They are particularly fond of fabrics containing organic materials such as cot- ton, silk, or wool, but occasionally they may damage synthetic fibers (nylon, rayon, etc.). This is more likely to occur if food has been spilled on them.

 cricket that is especially noticeable in August and September, and is commonly found under boards, boxes, stones, hay bales, or piles of plant debris. The female has a sharp ovipositor, nearly 3/4 inch in length. The body of the striped field cricket is smaller (about 3/4 inch), gray to brown in color, and has tapering wings. It is a strong flier and is highly attracted to lights.

Control

In late summer when temperatures begin to fall, crickets often enter homes and become a nuisance by damaging stored food or clothing, or by making noise. Single crickets may be captured by hand and released outdoors or killed with a fly swatter, broom, or with insecticides. A short burst of an aerosol spray formulation containing pyrethrins should be sufficient, but this will not provide residual control. If crickets are numerous, residual insecticides are usually the best answer.

Figure 2. Common mole cricket.

A chemical cricket "barrier" may be set up by spraying outside the house, around the foundation and about 5 feet out into flower beds or the lawn.

Silverfish

Silverfish and firebrats are wingless, flat insects with two long, slender antennae on the front and three long, slender "bristles" at the rear of a tapered, carrot-shaped body. They are 1/2 inch long when fully grown.

Silverfish may be found almost anywhere in the house, but are most commonly found in moist, warm locations (such as around sinks and other plumbing fixtures). They are covered with shiny silver scales that give the body a metallic sheen. They are frequently found in sinks or bathtubs because they fall in seeking moisture and then cannot climb out. Silverfish are most active at night and run very swiftly with a wiggling motion that resembles the swimming action of a fish.

Firebrats are similar to silverfish in overall appearance but lack the silvery sheen. The body color is gray or brown, usually with numerous dark markings that give a mottled appearance. Unlike the silverfish that may be found in any part of a house, firebrats prefer areas of high temperature (90° F and above) and high humidity. Therefore, firebrats are more common in attics and around furnaces, ovens, and water heaters.

Silverfish and firebrats are pests primarily because they are a nuisance and an annoyance. They may consume or stain foods, fabric, paper, books, or wallpaper. Damage to these items is significant, however, only in cases of very large infestations present over long periods of time.

Control of silverfish and firebrats may not be necessary if only a few are present and no damage is noticed or if infestations are limited to small areas. For silverfish, eliminating moisture problems where the pests can develop may be of some benefit. Household residual insecticides applied as sprays, dusts, or baits can be used if conditions warrant. Treat cracks, crevices, wall voids and other likely hiding spots in the areas where the pests are noticed. Available sprays are the "ant and roach killers" or "home pest control" products in pump sprayers or aerosol cans. Sprays need only be applied lightly and in localized areas of infestation.