Earwigs are one of those garden insects that look far worse than they usually are. The curved pincers on the rear of the body give them a fearsome appearance, and finding a cluster of them under a pot or in a head of lettuce is enough to put most gardeners off. In reality earwigs are mostly scavengers and occasional nibblers, and in many gardens they do more good than harm by eating decaying matter, aphids and other small pests. The trouble starts when their numbers build up in a damp, sheltered spot and they turn to soft seedlings, flowers and fruit.
This guide explains how to tell earwigs apart from other garden insects, what their feeding actually looks like, and how to bring numbers down with organic-first methods in a sensible order — inspection first, then hand-picking, barriers, traps, beneficial insects, and least-toxic options only if the earlier steps are not enough. If you are unsure whether the damage in your garden is earwigs at all, try the pest identifier helper and compare the symptoms before you act.
How to identify earwigs
An adult earwig is about 12–16 mm long, dark brown to black, with a flattened body, short leathery wing covers and a pair of curved forceps — the pincers — at the tip of the abdomen. Males have more strongly curved pincers; females have straighter ones. They have six legs and thread-like antennae, and although most species have wings folded under the wing covers, they rarely fly. The young, called nymphs, look like smaller, paler versions of the adults and go through several moults before reaching full size.
Earwings are nocturnal. During the day they hide in dark, damp, tight places: under pots, boards, stones and mulch, inside hollow stems, under loose bark, in the folds of a lettuce head or the petals of a dahlia. If you lift a board in the morning and a dozen dark insects scatter, earwigs are the likely culprit. They do not bite people in any meaningful way — the pincers can give a mild pinch if an earwig is trapped against skin, but they are not venomous and do not seek people out. The old story that they crawl into people's ears is a myth with no basis in fact.
The insect most often confused with the earwig is the rove beetle, which is also dark and flattened but lacks the pincers, and the silverfish, which is silvery, teardrop-shaped and found indoors rather than in beds. If the insect has pincers at the tail end, it is an earwig.
Lifecycle in general terms
Earwigs usually produce one generation a year in cooler climates, sometimes two where summers are long and warm. Females lay eggs in the soil in autumn or early spring, often in a small underground chamber, and — unusually for insects — the mother stays with the eggs and the newly hatched nymphs, cleaning and guarding them. The nymphs emerge in spring and feed through the summer, moulting several times before becoming adults by midsummer.
Adults are most active on warm, humid nights from late spring through autumn. They shelter during the day and come out after dark to feed. In autumn they seek sheltered places to overwinter, which is why gardeners often find them in stored pots, cold frames and piles of leaves. Understanding this cycle matters for control: trapping and hand-picking work best in late spring and summer when nymphs and adults are active, while cleaning up winter shelter in autumn reduces the population that survives to the next season.
Damage signs
Earwig feeding is ragged and irregular. On leaves they chew jagged holes and notches from the edges inward, and on soft flowers such as dahlias, clematis and marigolds they may eat petals and buds, sometimes hollowing a flower out from the inside. Seedlings can be chewed down to the stem overnight, and soft fruit such as strawberries, apricots and peaches may show shallow, irregular bites. In lettuce and other leafy crops they hide between the leaves and leave ragged holes and dark droppings.
The key clue is timing: damage that appears overnight and is worst after damp weather points to a night feeder. Slugs and snails leave similar ragged holes, but they also leave slime trails, and earwig damage is usually drier and more shredded at the edges. If you are growing lettuce or strawberries, check the hearts of the plants and the undersides of low leaves in the morning — that is where earwigs hide after a night's feeding.
A small number of earwigs is not a problem worth solving. They eat aphids, mites and decaying plant material, and a garden with a few earwigs is a garden with a working food web. Act when you see repeated damage on seedlings, flowers or fruit, or when you regularly find more than a handful sheltering in one spot.
Organic-first control, in order
1. Inspect first. Go out after dark with a torch two or three nights in a row and look at the plants showing damage. Confirm that earwigs are actually the cause before you treat anything. Check under pots, boards and mulch nearby during the day. Note which plants are hit hardest — that tells you where to concentrate your effort.
2. Hand-pick and shake. This is the single most effective step for a home garden. In the morning, shake affected flowers and plants gently over a bucket of soapy water, and pick earwigs off by hand. Lift boards and pots and collect the ones sheltering underneath. A few minutes a day for a week can cut numbers sharply, and it costs nothing.
3. Barriers. Keep mulch pulled a few centimetres back from the stems of seedlings, because thick damp mulch is ideal earwig shelter. Use collars of cardboard or plastic around young seedlings, and cover vulnerable seedlings with fine mesh or fleece until they are established. Remove boards, stacked pots and piles of debris near beds — every shelter you remove is a hiding place gone.
4. Traps. Rolled-up damp newspaper, a short length of bamboo cane, or a small upturned pot stuffed with straw makes an excellent earwig trap. Place traps near damaged plants in the evening; earwigs crawl in to shelter, and in the morning you tip them into a bucket of soapy water or move them to a wild corner away from the beds. A shallow dish of vegetable oil with a drop of soy sauce, sunk level with the soil, also catches them overnight. Empty and reset traps daily for the best effect.
5. Beneficial insects and birds. Earwigs are eaten by ground beetles, birds, frogs and toads. A garden with log piles in a wild corner, a small pond or a bird bath, and plenty of ground cover supports the predators that keep earwig numbers in check. Avoid broad-spectrum sprays, which kill the predators faster than they kill the earwigs.
6. Least-toxic options last. If hand-picking, barriers and traps have not brought damage down after two weeks, a diatomaceous earth dusting around the base of affected plants can help in dry weather — it needs reapplying after rain. Insecticidal soap sprayed directly onto earwigs at night can knock numbers down, but it also harms other soft-bodied insects, so use it as a spot treatment, not a routine. Always read the label, apply in the evening, and check your local extension service for products approved in your area.
Prevention
Prevention is mostly about shelter and moisture. Water in the morning so the soil surface dries before nightfall, when earwigs become active. Keep mulch thin near seedlings and avoid letting it pile against stems. Clear away boards, stacked pots and dense debris near vegetable beds, and store empty pots upside down or indoors. Grow seedlings on until they are sturdy before planting out, since large plants tolerate a little nibbling that would kill a seedling. Plant marigolds and other flowers a little away from the most vulnerable crops if earwigs have been a problem, and check new plants before bringing them into the garden. A tidy, well-aired bed with good drainage is far less attractive to earwigs than a damp, cluttered one, and the same habits help against most other night-feeding pests too.
Frequently asked questions
Are earwigs dangerous to people or pets? No. Earwigs do not bite, sting or spread disease. The pincers can pinch if one is squeezed against skin, but it is harmless and they do not seek people out. They are not dangerous to pets either.
Do earwigs eat other pests? Yes, and this is the part gardeners often miss. Earwigs eat aphids, mites, insect eggs and decaying plant matter, so a small population is genuinely useful. The goal is balance, not eradication.
Why are there so many earwigs this year? Numbers rise after mild winters and damp springs, when more females survive and more nymphs reach adulthood. Damp, sheltered gardens with thick mulch and plenty of debris support larger populations. A wet summer usually means a busy earwig season.
Will earwigs come indoors? They sometimes wander in through gaps under doors, especially in autumn when they are looking for shelter. They do not infest houses, do not eat wood or fabric, and a few strays can simply be picked up and put outside. Sealing gaps and removing leaf litter near the house helps.
Should I spray for earwigs? Try hand-picking, barriers and traps first — they usually work, and spraying kills the predators that would otherwise keep earwigs in check. If you do use a least-toxic product, apply it as a targeted evening treatment and check your local extension service for advice suited to your area.
Earwigs are a nuisance rather than a disaster, and most gardens can live with a few of them. Inspect at night, pick and trap through the summer, cut back their daytime shelter, and keep the predators on your side — and the damage will usually fade to a level you can ignore. For more help identifying what is eating your plants, see the pest identifier helper and browse the guides hub.