Earwigs or Pincher bugs are the vilest and disgusting creatures on this planet of earth. They are horrifying and unlike cockroaches, they are not afraid of humans. They will crawl up to you and may not run away when you turn the light on. The name is confusing, however. Pincher bug is better than earwig because they do not enter human ears unless they, like all insects, are cold and think your ear will be warm. They will not damage your ear in fear of being killed and they do not lay eggs in it because you will eventually wake up and that will endanger their young. A bug can enter a human ear and it is gross but unless the insect is poisonous it will not harm you and no, earwigs do not eat human brains.
Earwigs are a small insect generally brown in colour but can also be brown and generally has reddish or orange markings. They have wings but cannot fly. This is because insects used to be much bigger in prehistoric times when the earth was new. The earth’s atmosphere was almost completely Oxygen which allowed insects and single celled creaturs to grow to massive sizes. Imagine a dog-sized cockroach or a mosquito the size of a basketball. Back in this time, they could do things they could not do now. Wings would work more easily and everything was super-sized because of all the oxygen. But over time the animals and plants and the water of the earth equalized the atmosphere and reduced the oxygen to the level it is at today, where insects cannot grow large than a few inches and their wings, now vestigial, are useless.
The pincer on the insect is painful if they bite you with it but they do not carry poison so the wound should not hurt for long. They generally live in the dark in moist and wet environments like unfinished basements and leaky bathrooms. While they live outside for most of the year they will enter your home during the late fall when it gets too cold for them to survive. However, if they find the home suitable they will stay and breed and create an infestation.
To prevent this you will need to deal with any leaks and moisture in your home. Leaks can come from anywhere, from pipes inside walls and pipes underground. Perhaps the sewer backs up into your drain or maybe your hose is leaking creating a watery mush pit by your home that then leaks into the basement. Resolve all leaks and make sure your home is bone dry. This will do a lot to prevent them from living in the home. They are also interested in your food and garbage so make sure to keep the house clean.
Now as mentioned the earwig will not hurt you but if you threaten it may pinch you firmly. This can break the skin but will more likely just leave a small red mark. The best thing to do is to stay away from them or to treat them directly with a homemade insecticide. For earwigs, you can mix vinegar and water and spray it on them directly to kill them.
There is one danger to an earwig pinch that breaks the skin. You can be infected with a dangerous illness called Cellulitis. It can result in red and inflamed skin around the affected area. Pain around the spot of the pinch. Glossy swelling of the skin followed by a rapidly growing red sore at the sight. You will feel very warm and have a fever. If the illness gets worse you will have chills, shakes, general malaise (not wanting to move), dizziness, fatigue and sweating. If the illness goes septic it can kill a human so if you or someone in your house is showing these symptoms you will need to call for an ambulance.
