Earwigs & Silverfish
Effective Earwig and Silverfish Pest Control: Tips, Solutions for Residents, Business Owners in MN And WI
Earwigs and silverfish are common household pests that can cause significant discomfort and damage. This article provides an in-depth look at these two pests, offering valuable insights into their habits, life cycles, and the threats they pose. Learn effective identification techniques and discover proven methods for preventing and eliminating infestations. Protect your home and enjoy peace of mind with our expert tips and advice.
Read on to learn of Effective Control Solutions for Earwigs and Silverfish. And, to skip the line, go ahead and give us a call now for a free quote: 651-342-9489.
Effective Earwig Control
Earwigs are fairly recognizable in the pest industry, due to their identifiable forceps-like appendages at the end of their abdomen. This appendage is called cerci, and while these bugs can be large and terrifying in terms of what they look like, they are fairly harmless.
There is an old myth that earwigs crawl in people’s ears, and this is far from the truth. They like dark, damp areas. So they can be basement dwellers, but they are often found outside under rocks or debris, congregating together.
They are communal insects in that regard, like cockroaches, and they also like to clean their appendages with their mouthparts. According to a Pest Control Technology article on the biology and control of earwigs, female earwigs exhibit maternal care for her eggs and young earwigs. This is not common among the insect species.
She digs a hole in the ground or debris where she lays the eggs. The then keeps watch over them, and keeps them moist by licking them. She collects food for them in this little nest once they hatch, and the babies remain there until their first molt.
Earwigs are like centipedes in their eating habits, being omnivorous, which means they feed on live or decaying vegetation, as well as live and dead insects. Centipedes and spiders are often referred to as the hunters of the pest world.
There are three different types of earwigs, like the European earwig, the striped earwig, and the ringlegged earwig. The ringlegged earwig is the most common type of earwig found in the US.
The best way to prevent earwigs from infesting a home, is to treat the exterior foundation seasonally. That said, typically earwigs would be an occasional invader, meaning someone should only find one or two here or there in their home. But an infestation could occur from a variety of reasons, like unkempt vegetation near the foundation, excess food and moisture available on the interior of the home, etc.
A simple crawling insect treatment around the perimeter of the home on the inside and the outside should do just the trick to get rid of these creepy pests with the pinchers on their end. Feel free to call our office for a free quote of earwig control.
Successful Silverfish Solution
Silverfish got the name because they kind of look like fish due to their silver scales. They are pretty small, about half an inch once fully grown, and they have weird antennae-like appendages from the end of their abdomen. This is why we have them share a page with earwigs, another insect with an appendage protruding from their abdomen. These 3 slender antennae things have given them another name as bristle tails.
Just like with earwigs, there are also 3 common silverfish varieties in the US: the common silverfish, the gray silverfish, and the longtailed silverfish.
A pro tip is that these pests can be found on hairbrushes, as they like to eat hair and dandruff.
Female silverfish can lay 1 to 3 eggs per day in little cracks and crevices for their entire adult life. The eggs hatch in about 43 days, according to Pest Control Technology.
The young silverfish, look exactly like adult silverfish, only smaller. And as they molt, they grow bigger. But, something unique to most other insects is that silverfish continue to molt, even after they reach adulthood.
Silverfish like warm, moist areas and can be destructive to books, paper, glues, pastes, labels, and other paper products. So, it’s important to maintain a clutter-free home to help keep these insects at bay. That, and contact Done Right Pest Solutions for all of your silverfish control needs.
Tips to Prevent Earwigs and Silverfish from Making Home in Your Home
Read on to learn 6 tips to prevent earwigs and silverfish from making home in your home.
Routinely clean your home. Pests love a dirty home. Excess crumbs and liquid serve as food and water sources for pests. Still, some pests are no respecter of persons, and can make their home in your home, even if you are meticulously clean.
Manage moisture, get a dehumidifier. Silverfish often frequent bathrooms because they like warm, humid locations. Earwigs like dark, damp environments. What do these 2 descriptions have in common? Moisture. Clean up the moisture to make sure your environment stays pest free.
Close up any entry points. This can be pretty impossible due to insects being so small they can squeeze into openings as small as 1/16 of an inch. But, if you do see any large openings, it’s always a good idea to seal those up.
Store food properly. Because insects can sneak into itty bitty cracks and crevices, it is important to use proper air-tight containers to store food in, both in and out of the refrigerator and pantry.
Reduce clutter. Because silverfish like paper products, it’s important to be intentional about reducing clutter around the house just to minimize areas where pests can hide. Going through your items on a regular basis can help you sort through things to keep the important items and get rid of the non-important items. When you have a cleaner house, it is easier to recognize a pest issue before it becomes a hidden infestation.
Get routine pest control. Of course, having a qualified, licensed pest control company on retainer for if anything does come up throughout the year is a nice bonus to most annual service plans. Plus, seasonal exterior sprays will cut down on these silverfish and earwig populations outside before they get out of hand and invade your home.
How We Perform Earwig Control and Silverfish Control Services
We first inspect. Inspection is key as we need to make sure we are treating correctly for the right pest. Just like in life, consistency is key, unless you are consistently doing the wrong thing.
After inspection, then we treat. This could include crack and crevices treatment on the inside of the home or structure and an exterior application around the foundation.
We have seen cases where the infestation started through the wooden shake roof . In these types of instances a power spray to the roofline and whole roof, depending, may be needed, along with a full power spray of the siding of the house.
A 2 month warranty is given with each crawling insect treatment, so if anything out of the ordinary comes up during that warranty, just let us know. We come back out, no additional charge.
If you have any other pest issues at the same time, we highly recommend our Peak Seasons Plan. It is the best bang for your buck, it includes at least 3 seasonal services and a 12 month warranty. If you’re wondering if the Peak Seasons Plan could be right for your home, it very well could be. We offer it to anyone who has 2 or more pest issues come up per year.
Conclusion and Next Steps
We get it, your home is important to you and you want to protect it. But we also know you don’t want to spend tons of money on pest control. This is why we often start folks with a 1x treatment, for whatever issue they have going on, and if they need anything else, they can upgrade later.
We strive to be efficient and thoughtful, the best pest control and the best customer service. We strive to have the best quality service. So if you’re in need of some earwig control or silverfish control, give us a call. We’d be happy to help.
Call or text us at 651-342-9489 or email us at donerightpestsolutions@gmail.com.
We’re here when you need us,
Done Right Team