How to Prevent Earwigs in Your Garden

Are Earwigs Harmful to Humans?

Earwigs pose no significant threat to people — they're far less of a concern than cockroaches or mosquitoes. Here's the full picture.

They Don't Spread Disease

Unlike flies and cockroaches, earwigs don't shuttle between filth and food. Their diet consists mainly of decaying plants, small insects, and organic debris. They're not significant disease vectors. There is no evidence that earwigs transmit diseases to humans.

They Don't Damage Your Belongings

• They don't eat clothing or fabric
• They don't chew on wooden furniture or house structures
• They don't infest stored grains or dry goods
• The only "damage" they might cause is nibbling on indoor plant leaves and flower petals

They Don't Attack People

Earwigs are not aggressive. When they see a person or pet, they quickly run away and hide. Those scary-looking pincers are for defense and catching tiny prey — not for attacking large animals.

But — Yes, They Can Pinch

If you grab or step on an earwig, its pincers can definitely pinch you. However:

• In most cases, the skin isn't broken — it just feels like a nip
• In the rare case the skin breaks, there's only mild redness and no venom involved
• It hurts far less than an ant bite or a bee sting

The Upside of Earwigs

What people often overlook is that earwigs are actually beneficial predators in the garden:

• They eat decaying leaves and organic debris, helping with decomposition
• They feed on aphids, scale insects, and other garden pest eggs and larvae — one earwig can eat several small pests in a single night
• Their underground activity helps aerate the soil

The Biggest "Problem" with Earwigs

The main issue is simply that they look unsettling — a dark brown body with those rear pincers can definitely give you the creeps. Spotting one crawling across the bathroom or bedroom floor at night can be genuinely startling. So even though they're harmless, most people don't want to share their home with earwigs, and wanting them gone is totally understandable.