Summer Pests: How To Deal With Earwigs In South Dakota

In January when it's 10 below in South Dakota, I really appreciate our warm summer days.

However, those warm summer days make me appreciate the cold South Dakota winter even more. Why? Bugs. Especially one of the grossest bugs ever, earwigs.

We called them 'pinchers' growing up. Forficula auricular is their fancy science name, but we all know them as 'earwigs.'

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Combatting Earwig Invasions: Expert Advice For South Dakota

Even their name is gross. The popular story is that their name comes from old folklore that said earwigs CARWL IN YOU EAR TO LAY EGGS IN YOUR BRAIN! I am never sleeping again.

They don't do that, by the way. It's more likely you'll find them in your unattended cup of water, in your house plants, or bathrooms. Earwigs love a dark moist place. That's why you'll find them outside in gardens and under things like the baseball glove left in the backyard overnight.

MORE: What's Being Done to Battle the Bite of Mosquitoes in Sioux Falls?

Thanks to the wet June we just had, the Sioux Falls earwig population seems to be exploding. I've seen three in my house this week! They are looking for moist spots to do whatever an earwig does.

They're not gonna hurt you, but if like me, you want a bug-free home (as much as possible, spiders are cool) here are some tips from the folks at SDSU Extention to curb the invasion of the earwigs: