Short answer: The pincer-tailed bugs showing up in Pace bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens are earwigs. They look alarming, but earwigs don't spread disease and can't meaningfully hurt people. Summer is their peak season, and they push indoors looking for damp, tight spaces. Drying out the foundation area and a perimeter treatment are what keep them outside.
Earwigs are nocturnal and thigmotactic, which is a fancy way of saying they wedge themselves into snug, dark, humid cracks during the day. They also give off aggregation scents, so where you find one you often find a crowd.
During hot, dry spells they move toward the moisture around and inside homes. Common entry points include:
Once inside, they head for the dampest rooms in the house. That's why you find them in the bathroom, laundry room, and under the kitchen sink.
No. Those forceps look intimidating, but earwigs carry no known human diseases and their mouthparts can't really bite you. They can give a harmless pinch if you handle one. The old story about earwigs crawling into ears is just that, an urban legend.
Outdoors, earwigs mostly feed on decaying plant matter and other small insects. Indoors, they're a nuisance pest. The problem isn't harm, it's the numbers, because they cluster together and keep coming from the same damp spots outside.
Start by reducing the damp harborage they depend on around the foundation.
Because earwigs cluster and keep arriving from outside, spraying the ones you see indoors doesn't solve it. A perimeter treatment around the foundation is the most reliable way to break the cycle, paired with knocking down the ones already inside.
Our technicians walk the outside of your Pace home first, because that's where the earwigs are coming from. We look for moist harborage along the slab edge, in mulch beds, and under debris. We also check the door sweeps, weep holes, and utility penetrations they use to get in.
Then we treat the perimeter around the foundation to stop new earwigs from reaching the house. We treat the damp indoor spots where they've gathered too. We'll also show you the moisture and clutter issues near the house that keep drawing them back, so the treatment holds.
Do earwigs pinch or bite people? They can give a harmless pinch with their forceps if handled, but they carry no known human diseases and their mouthparts can't really bite you. Earwigs are a nuisance pest, not a health threat.
Why are there so many earwigs at once? Earwigs release aggregation scents and shelter together, so populations build up in the same damp spots. Summer is their peak activity season along the Gulf Coast, which is when Pace homeowners notice them indoors.
How do I stop earwigs from coming back? Cut off moisture and hiding places near the house, seal entry points, and keep a treated barrier around the foundation. That combination is far more effective than spraying the ones you see indoors.
Can I get rid of earwigs myself? You can reduce them by moving mulch and firewood off the foundation and drying out damp areas. Most homeowners still see them return, because the source is outside and hard to reach. A professional perimeter treatment breaks the cycle.
When should I call about earwigs in the house? Call when you're finding them daily, seeing groups in bathrooms or laundry rooms, or when cleanup around the foundation hasn't slowed them down. That's a sign the population outside is large enough to keep feeding the house.
Tired of earwigs in the house in Pace? Call 850-474-4000 or request a visit online.
EnSec Pest & Lawn is a family-owned pest control, termite, and lawn care company founded in 1997, with offices in Cantonment and Panama City Beach, Florida, and Mobile and Foley, Alabama. Our team includes Certified Pest Control Operators in Florida and Alabama and an Associate Certified Entomologist, and we are members of the National Pest Management Association with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (License #2004227). This article was written and reviewed by the EnSec team and last updated September 2026.
EnSec Pest & Lawn has been protecting Gulf Coast homes since 1997. Get a free estimate today.
