You’re moving a cardboard box in the garage or maybe just picking up a damp towel from the bathroom floor when you see it. It’s dark, sleek, and fast. But the thing that really catches your eye is the pair of formidable-looking forceps sticking out of its rear end. Most people immediately think "scorpion" or some kind of mutant beetle. In reality, that black bug with pinchers is almost certainly an earwig.
They look mean. Honestly, they look like they were designed specifically to crawl into your ear and wreak havoc, which is exactly where their name comes from. Old European folklore suggested these insects would burrow into the brains of sleeping people to lay eggs. It’s a terrifying thought. It’s also completely fake. There is zero medical evidence of earwigs intentionally entering human ears, and they definitely don't have an interest in your brain. They're just looking for a moist, dark place to hide from the sun.
If you’ve found one, you’re likely seeing the European Earwig (Forficula auricularia). These are the most common "pincer bugs" found across North America and Europe. While they are technically an invasive species in many places, they've become such a staple of the backyard ecosystem that they're basically part of the furniture now.
What's the Deal With the Pinchers?
Those "pinchers" are actually called cerci. They aren't just for show, but they aren't exactly weapons of mass destruction either. Earwigs use them for a few very specific things: sparing with other earwigs over territory, folding their incredibly complex wings (yes, they have wings, though they rarely fly), and capturing prey.
If you pick one up, it might try to give you a poke. It’s not a sting. There’s no venom involved. For a human, it feels like a tiny, weak pinch—usually not even enough to break the skin.
Interestingly, you can tell the sex of an earwig just by looking at those pinchers. Males have curved, stout forceps that look like little ice tongs. Females have straighter, more slender ones. If the black bug with pinchers you’re staring at has big, circular-looking hooks, you’re looking at a male ready to defend his honor against a rival.
Why Are They in My House?
Earwigs are moisture seekers. They are thigmotactic, which is just a fancy scientific way of saying they love being squeezed into tight crevices. They want to feel the world pressing against their backs.
When it gets too hot or too dry outside, they head for your foundation. They find a crack in the mortar or a gap under the door and suddenly they’re in your laundry room. They love damp basements. They love the space under the kitchen sink.
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- The Mulch Problem: If you have wood mulch pushed right up against your house's siding, you've basically built an earwig highway.
- The Light Trap: Like many insects, they are attracted to bright porch lights at night. They gather near the light, find a crack in the door frame, and wander in.
- The Garden Buffet: They eat a mix of things. Decaying organic matter is their favorite, but they will absolutely munch on your marigolds, dahlias, and lettuce if the population gets big enough.
Dr. Whitney Cranshaw, a renowned entomologist, has noted in his research that earwigs are actually "beneficial" in some contexts because they eat aphids and mites. So, while they look like tiny monsters, they might be the only thing keeping your rose bushes from being eaten alive by microscopic pests. It's a trade-off.
Other Bugs That Fit the Description
Not every black bug with pinchers is an earwig. If what you're looking at doesn't quite match the "long, flat, reddish-black" description, you might have one of these other common culprits.
The Ground Beetle
Some ground beetles (Carabidae) are jet black and have very large mandibles at the front of their heads. Unlike the earwig, whose pinchers are at the tail, these guys have their "pinchers" right by their mouths. They are fast, they don't have the "tail forceps," and they are strictly predatory. They’re the "good guys" of the garden, even if they look a bit intimidating when they scurrying across your patio.
Stink Bugs (The Dark Varieties)
While most people think of the brown marmorated stink bug, some species are much darker. They don't have pinchers, but their angled shoulders can sometimes look like spikes in low light. If it’s wide and shield-shaped, it’s not an earwig.
The Devil’s Coach Horse Beetle
If you live in the UK or parts of the California coast, you might run into this charmer. It’s a large, matte-black beetle that has a habit of curling its tail up like a scorpion when it feels threatened. It doesn't have the forceps of an earwig, but it has powerful jaws and can actually deliver a painful bite. It’s a hunter. It’s mean. But it’s also relatively rare to find inside a clean home.
How to Get Rid of Them Without Toxic Chemicals
You don't need to spray a gallon of poison to deal with these guys. Honestly, that usually doesn't even work because earwigs hide in deep cracks where the spray doesn't reach.
The Oil Pit Trap
This is the most effective DIY method. Take a small container, like a sour cream tub, and bury it in the dirt so the rim is level with the ground. Fill it with about an inch of vegetable oil and a splash of soy sauce. The soy sauce smells like fermented goodness to an earwig. They crawl in, fall into the oil, and can't get out. You’ll be shocked at how many you catch in a single night.
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The Rolled Paper Trick
Dampen a piece of corrugated cardboard or a newspaper. Roll it up with a rubber band and leave it in the "hot zones" overnight. In the morning, the earwigs will have crawled inside the tight, moist spaces of the paper to hide from the sun. Just pick up the tube and shake it out into a bucket of soapy water.
The Physical Barrier
Fix your window screens. I know, it sounds basic. But most earwigs get in through holes in screens or gaps in the weather stripping. If you can see light under your door, an earwig sees an open invitation.
Managing the Landscape
If you really want to stop seeing that black bug with pinchers inside, you have to change the environment outside.
Move the woodpile. If you have logs stacked against the house, you're asking for trouble. That’s a five-star hotel for earwigs, spiders, and termites. Move it at least ten feet away.
Check your gutters. If your downspouts are dumping water right at the base of your foundation, that soil is going to stay saturated. Earwigs love it. Extend your downspouts so the water moves away from the house.
Stop overwatering your mulch. If the top layer of your garden never dries out, the earwig population will explode. Let the soil breathe.
What if You Get Pinched?
Let's say the worst happens. You sit on a lawn chair and an earwig decides your thigh is a threat. You feel a sharp little nip.
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Don't go to the ER. Wash the area with soap and water. Because they live in the dirt, there's a tiny risk of secondary infection if the skin is broken, but it’s no different than a small scratch from a briar. A little dab of antiseptic and you're fine. They aren't carrying diseases like mosquitoes or ticks. They are mostly just a "nuisance pest."
The Strange Motherhood of Earwigs
Here is a weird fact that might make you feel a little bad for them: Earwigs are surprisingly good mothers. In the insect world, most bugs lay eggs and then disappear forever. Not the earwig.
The female earwig stays with her eggs in a subterranean chamber. She cleans them constantly to prevent mold and fungus from growing. When they hatch, she protects the "nymphs" (who look like tiny, white versions of the adults) until they've molted a few times and can fend for themselves. It’s a level of maternal care that is almost unheard of in non-social insects.
So, next time you see that black bug with pinchers, remember it might just be a hardworking mom looking for a snack for her kids. Or, you know, just use the soy sauce trap.
Actionable Steps to Clear Them Out
If you're tired of seeing them, do these three things this weekend:
- Clear the Perimeter: Create a "dry zone" about one foot wide around your entire foundation. No mulch, no ivy, no tall grass. Just gravel or bare dirt. This acts as a desert that earwigs hate to cross.
- Seal the Gaps: Get a tube of silicone caulk and go around your windows and the points where utility lines (gas, water, cable) enter the house.
- Dehumidify: If you're finding them in the basement, run a dehumidifier. If the air is dry, the earwigs will either leave or die. They cannot survive in low-humidity environments for more than a day or two.
They aren't going to hurt your house. They aren't going to eat your clothes or ruin your food. They're just awkward, slightly ugly visitors from the garden that wandered into the wrong neighborhood. Manage the moisture, and you'll manage the bugs.