Contrary to legend, earwigs don’t crawl in people’s ears
while they sleep. And those
pincher-shaped things on their bottoms can’t hurt you either. But it can be pretty freaky when you go to
brush your teeth or take a shower and see a family of earwigs lounging by the
drain. Getting rid of them is fairly
easy. They like moisture, so keep crawl
spaces as dry as possible. Repair
leaking water spigots, wipe out sinks before you go to bed, and make sure your
gutters carry water away from the house foundation. Some people say changing their outdoor lights to sodium vapor
yellow lights has kept earwigs away too, since like most insects, they are
attracted to white light. Caulk or
putty around doors, windows, pipes and other places they may be using as
doorways to your house. When you see an
earwig, just vacuum it up and empty the vacuum bag far from the house. Or if you prefer, drop it in a glass of
soapy water to send it to earwig heaven.
There are insecticides on the market for earwig control, but they should
be applied outside where the earwigs make their homes.
Spiders
Spiders arguably cause more heebie-jeebies among the general
population than most household pests.
But when they are outside, you should restrain yourself from
spider-cide. Spiders eat up many
insects that feed on your garden. And a
well-placed spider in a window sill can actually keep other bugs from entering
your home. If you absolutely cannot
stop yourself from getting rid of an outdoor spider, simply knock down their
webs with a broom or a squirt from a hose.
Spreading pesticide around your backyard just to kill off spiders is not
likely to work well, and it’s not safe for your kids or pets either.
Spiders inside the house are another story. Spiders like to make webs where there is
moving air (such as a window sill or a baseboard), since they are smart enough
to know that more bugs are likely to move through the area. So one way to prevent them from setting up
housekeeping is to eliminate drafty areas from your house.
If you can bring yourself to do it, carefully remove the
spider from its web with a stiff piece of paper or a paper cup and relocate it
outside. But don’t be surprised if it
comes back again. Spiders come inside
for one reason only; there’s a food supply in your house. If you want to get the spiders out of your
house, you’ll have to get rid of whatever insects they are finding so
irresistible in there. Clean up your
kitchen, seal up insect entry points, eliminate moisture, and soon the spiders
will move off in search of an outdoor meal.
In the meantime, you can vacuum up webs, and clean up bookshelves and
other spaces where spiders like to put their egg sacks. Purchase a pesticide rated specially for
spiders, and spread it along baseboards, and in corners and closets.