As a homeowner, not only do you have regular maintenance and upkeep to concern yourself with, but you need to concern yourself with keeping intruders out. Intruders can be very small insects, rodents, or even larger creatures. Dealing with pest control is not any homeowner’s first thought when it comes to owning a home. Unfortunately, it is a necessary responsibility. So, coming up with the best environmentally friendly ideas for keeping insects away is a great idea. Do coffee grounds repel earwigs? This has a variety of findings. In some cases, the coffee grounds work, and in other cases, it did not.
Let’s take a look below at some more information regarding coffee grounds and earwigs.
How Can I Use The Coffee Grounds?
Instead of throwing the coffee grounds away, you can use them as a repellent. Let’s look at the steps.
- Gather the used coffee grounds – After you run your cup of coffee, take the used grounds and put them in a container.
- Dry the coffee grounds – You will want to dry the grounds and you can do this by spreading them on a baking sheet and letting them dry in the sun or an oven. If you use the the oven, make sure it is on low heat.
- Sprinkle the dry grounds – When the grounds are dry, you will want to think about the places you have seen earwigs. Then, sprinkle the grounds. Some good places are potted plants, garden beds, and the foundation of your home.
Using the smell of coffee grounds is a great natural way to get rid of earwigs and repel pests. The scent from the grounds often drives earwigs away from the garden or home. It is important to note that using coffee grounds is a great way to protect your children and pets by not using any harsh chemicals.
What Are Some Other Repelling Methods?
Here are some other ways to deter insects including earwigs:
- Diatomaceous Earth (DE) – This will kill earwigs on contact. Sprinkle it around your plants and home so that earwigs come in contact.
- Essential Oils – Use a mixture of oils like cinnamon, peppermint, lavender, or basil to repel the earwigs.
- Baking soda spray – Baking soda mixed with soapy water is an instant killer of earwigs. Mix the solution so that you can spray the earwigs and kill them on contact.
- Vacuum – Suck up the earwigs with your vacuum and then discard them in a soapy solution. The contact with the soap kills them on contact.
- Soapy water – A soap and water mixture placed in a spray bottle and sprayed on the earwigs will kill them.
- Natural Predators – There are limited natural predators. However, wolf spiders, parasitic wasps, frogs, and centipedes are a few.
- Light trap – Take a mixture of dish soap and water and place it where the earwigs are active at night. Place a light above the bowl and once the earwigs fall into the soapy water, they die.
- Oil and Soy sauce trap – Mix soy sauce and vegetable oil and place it in a container. Bury the container so that the lid with holes in it is level to the ground. Watch as the soy attracts the insects, but the oil keeps them from escaping.
- Birds – Do your best to attract birds that eat earwigs. Bluebirds, Cardinals, and Wrens, to name a few.
- Newspaper – Damp newspaper attracts the earwigs. Once you have them gathered you can immerse the paper in soapy water and kill the earwigs on contact.
- Vinegar – Use a light watered-down vinegar and spray around your plants or home. Vinegar mixed with soap will kill the earwigs on contact.
- Azera – This is a natural insecticide that works wonders to eliminate earwigs.
- Beer – Place empty cans of beer in the ground and have them about 1/4 of an inch from the surface. Then, add some old skunky beer. The scent will attract the earwigs and once they fall into the can, they will drown.
- Sticky traps – Place duct tape around cardboard and place them around your plants. As the earwig explores it will get trapped on the duct tape and not be able to escape.
- Repellant plants – Installing some repellent plants is a great idea. You can look to use peppermint, garlic, bay leaves, or wormwood. These plants will repel any earwig.
Other Recommended Maintenance
Now that you know how to get rid of earwigs, you can start reading up on how to get rid of ants in the bathroom. Ants can be a nuisance and not every pest control company has a 24/7 service. So, if you are caught with ants in the bathroom, knowing some ways to get rid of them is key.
Next, if you happen to have boxelder trees in your area, then you likely have boxelder bugs. Knowing what they look like and whether or not they bite is important to keep you and your family safe and free from an infestation. Also, consult your local pest control company to help eradicate the problem.
Lastly, if you live in a wooded area or are known to come across deer, then you want to study up on ticks. For example, knowing how long a tick can live without a host is important for your safety. Ticks carry many diseases and can cause you to suffer severe health complications.
When Do I Call A Professional?
If you find the earwigs are out of control and you have tried ways to repel them, reach out to a pest control service. They will be able to come up with ideas on the next steps. They will also be able to take a look at any other pest issues you may have and start you on a pest control service if needed.
Conclusion
Earwigs can be a nuisance so getting rid of them is advised. If the coffee grounds or other ways to repel them don’t work, then it is time to try some other alternatives or contact a pest control company. Reach out to AAA pest control to get your earwigs and other pest issues under control in Oakland Park, FL, and the surrounding South Florida areas.