might be worth having a word with aomeone from the Council about it, maybe environmental health if they are getting into your houses.
Is the garden outside of the house overgrown? one way would be to try and clear plants etc away so they have nowhere to live... they love long grass and overgrown weey areas..
Used to have a problem many years ago when our family lived in Birkenhead North, all our washing had to be shaken befoire we brought it inside the house
horrible things
any they bite too
Just found this...
Earwigs congregate in areas that
are shaded or filled with lush plant
material, boards, debris, or organic
mulch. Exposed, sunny yards have
fewer problems. Two species of
parasitic fly, including Digonichaeta
setipermis, have been introduced to
help control earwigs naturally. In good
years these parasites attack and kill
over 1/3 of the earwig population.
You can trap earwigs in rolled up
newspapers or in old tuna fish cans
baited with fish oil or vegetable oil.
Place traps near the problem areas and
check them each morning. Shake live
insects into a pail of soapy water to kill
them.
Converting the backyard to a dry,
sunny environment with few hiding
places will also help control earwigs.
Remove any shelter sites, prune low-
growing bushes, avoid growing the
earwigs’ favored food plants, and
destroy moss and algae. Avoid
overwatering and don’t use thick
organic mulches.
Chemical
A variety of insecticides available
to homeowners are labeled for earwig
control. You can use the following
materials as baits, liquids, sprays,
granules, or dusts: carbaryl (Sevin),
acephate (Orthene), bifenthrin,
permethrin, cyfluthrin, esfenvalerate,
and propoxur (Baygon). Products
containing diazinon or chlorpyrifos
(Dursban) are being phased out for
homeowner use, but existing stocks
can be used up. Read the label to
determine the proper sites and usage
restrictions. Insecticidal soaps kill
earwigs on contact but do not have a
residual effect on treated areas.
Applying insecticides to daytime
hiding places will give more successful
control. Mulched areas of flowerbeds
are often the best sites to treat. Large
volumes are often needed for adequate
coverage so consider using a hose-end
type sprayer or apply granules to the
soil area and water them in. Insecticide
applications made late in the day are
most effective.
A common recommendation is to
apply insecticides as a barrier
treatment. Sprays or dust are applied to
the exterior foundation walls and a 2-3
foot swath along the adjacent ground.
Flower beds and mulches can also be
treated. Many lawn insecticides could
be used on grass, but that would be an
extreme response to this problem.
Indoor
If earwigs are getting into your
home, caulk cracks and crevices and
weather-strip doors to prevent their
entry. Check windows, the junction of
the siding with the foundation, and all
outdoor water faucets for openings that
earwigs can squeeze through. Remove
firewood, unneeded plant material, and
organic mulches from the foundation
area. Create a clean, dry border along
the foundation and consider replacing
wood chips or bark mulch with stones
or other material that will be less
attractive to earwigs. Clear debris and
leaves from the troughs of eaves.
Individual earwigs found indoors
may be vacuumed or killed by hand.
Many indoor spray cleaners will kill
individuals on contact, as will most ant
and roach sprays. But sealing or
caulking openings is a more effective
and permanent approach. Earwigs will
not breed indoors, so continual
problems suggest constant migration
from outside
.
