Outdoor treatments with sprays containing 1 percent carbaryl or 0.5 percent diazinon should help control outdoor populations. Dusts and granules containing 5 percent carbaryl or 2 percent diazinon may be applied to crawl spaces and around foundation walls. See Table 1 and Table 2 for chemical control recommendations. They are usually dark brown and have a pair of pincer-like appendages at the tip of the abdomen. They have chewing-type mouthparts and slow development.
Earwigs are active at night.
They usually hide in cracks, crevices, under bark or in similar places during the day. They are usually scavengers in their feeding habits, but occasionally feed on plants. The name earwig is derived from an old superstition that these insects enter peoples' ears. This idea is entirely unfounded because earwigs are harmless to man. Some species have scent glands from which they can squirt a foul-smelling liquid.