This DIY earwig trap is so easy to make, and it’s extremely effective at taking care of your earwig problem!
Earwigs are usually something we see around every once in a while. But sometimes they become prolific, and something needs to be done about them. That’s where a simple earwig trap comes in.
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make a DIY earwig trap. It only requires 2 ingredients, but it works amazingly well.
I debated whether you’d want to see this picture of my DIY earwig trap the morning after I put it out, but decided that seeing it might help you to believe that this simple earwig trap recipe really works!
Disgusting, right? I definitely wasn’t expecting my earwig trap to be so successful the first night!
Ingredients to Make a DIY Earwig Trap:
- 1 cup cooking oil (canola, vegetable, etc. Don’t use your expensive olive oil, any cheap kind will do!)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
That’s it! Seriously!
Pour both into a container of some sort. I used a plastic container that had lost its lid, so that when I was finished with it I could just chuck it in the garbage.
Set out in the evening in the area where you are having problems with earwigs, preferably against a wall or something else that will make easy access for the earwigs to get into the container. Come back in the morning and be prepared to be disgusted amazed!
Do you remember the old pore strips back in the day? The ones that you basically glued to your nose, and then tore it off and it would be covered with the junk from your pores? And you would be disgusted by what was on there, but at the same time you felt an immense satisfaction if it was really nasty?
Earwig traps are kind of the same way. When you check it in the morning, wondering if it worked or if this is some kind of scam I made up, you’ll find immense satisfaction in finding it full of earwigs.
If your earwig problem is bad, dump the nasty earwig trap out in the garbage, and then set it again the following evening. Continue to do so until it only has a couple earwigs in it, and then you can consider your infestation problem solved!
What natural ways have you found that really work to take care of other household pests? I’d love to hear– drop me a comment below!
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It’s 2:26 am and I just stumbled upon this. I’m goin to try right now. i only have coconut aminos would that work or does it need to be soy sauce?
I would think coconut aminos would work, but I’ve never tried them, so I’m not positive.
I just woke up in the middle of the night with an earwig on my leg after it had been on my neck and when I say I panicked…ob boy I mean it. A month ago I found on my bf’s pillow. So I will definitely try this tonight. I love how simple and non toxic the mixture is. Basically mixing sunflower oil and soy sauce is good for both the belly and the house lol who knew. Been looking for something chemical free. Thanks for sharing!
Eek! That would definitely freak me out! I hope it works well for you, Andreea!
This DIY earwig trap is genius! I love how simple it is with just two ingredients. Definitely trying this out for my garden pest problem. Thanks for sharing such an effective solution!
You’re so welcome, Kellie. I love sharing helpful tips!
Am I supposed to stir up the oil/soy sauce mixture?
You don’t need to mix it, Mike– it will just separate again if you do.
I tried this last night. My oil was a little rancid and the soy sauce sank to the bottom. I did not get a single earwig. Was it the oil? Gonna try again tonight with new oil. Cuz I know those little farts are out there!
It’s possible that it was the oil. However, it may just have been a fluke, or where you put the container. Try to put the container against a wall or near plants they’ve been eating, in an area you know they are at. They like dark, damp areas, so those are good places to put the containers.
We are having a horrible earwig problem this year in Idaho. When they start coming in the house that’s it! I have been nipped several times now.
We put the traps out last night and it worked like a charm. Thank you I really appreciate the time you have taken to put this solution out there. We definitely have less in the hollyhocks (which they seem to love) today. We shall continue to place traps for the rest of the summer.
You’re welcome, Victoria! I’m in Idaho, as well, and I opened the metal garbage can we keep chicken feed in this evening to find hundreds of earwigs inside. It does seem like a bad year for them! Thankfully the hens were thrilled to eat the ones in their feed, but I’ll be putting traps out as well.
Thanks for your reply Jamie. We no longer have them coming in the house now…they always ended up in the kitchen sink wash cloth! What is that about? Don’t worry I know, they love the moisture!
So I shall do this every summer from now on. Any cure for those pesky grasshoppers? Just kidding
V
Same!! I just got like 100 in this trap last night, I’ve in Eastern Oregon we seem to have an infestation 😵💫
I have my kids catch grasshoppers in jars, and feed them to the chickens. Lol. Not a great solution, sorry!
Absolutely terrible for the south!!! I put these traps in my raised Dahlia bed and attracted every fire ant in the area!! No bueno….
Oh, wow! That’s crazy. We don’t have fire ants, but that doesn’t sound good. Thanks for sharing your feedback, so it can help others in the South.
What about inside your home?
You can definitely use this inside your home, just make sure none of your pets (or small children) are able to get to it.
1) container
2) olive oil
3) Worcestershire sauce
I didn’t have soy sauce.. I don’t use much of either the oil or the Worcestershire sauce… Just covered the bottom of the plastic container with it… Not even a centimeter high. Then a dash or 2 of the Worcestershire sauce
Buried it so the top of container was flush with dirt. That’s it. It worked!! Saved the container lid and popped lid on and threw away a ton of nasty bugs. I tried it with the lid on (holes in lid) but only captured a few… Less than 5 in each of those containers. So I do think the open top is the way to go if you can do that.
Only one earwig in my trap. Did you try to mix the oil and soy sauce? I just poured together as your directions said. Will try mixing them tonight.
No need to mix.
I don’t mix them, just pour them in. Make sure it’s next to a wall or easy for them to get into, preferably in an area where you’ve seen earwigs.
Is there a substitute for soy sauce?
Because this is so effective, I haven’t tried anything else, Wayne. You could try another fermented item like apple cider vinegar or wine, but I’m not sure if it would be as effective.
Yes! Tried 2 nights.
All I used was Olive Oil and Worcestershire sauce last night and it worked!
Worcester works as well in fact I found it to work better.
Is there an effective replacement for soy sauce?
We’ve never had an earwig issue, thank heaven! However it is neat to know how easy it is to make a trap, and it is great that it is with natural ingredients!
I hope you don’t ever have to deal with them! That’s definitely a blessing, Marysa!
lick these are nasty. I will have to try this trap for sure. Thanks for sharing.
They really are gross, Laura! Good luck with the trap!
They used to come in our house once a year when we lived up north. One of the kids would put toilet paper in his nose and ears because he thought one might try to crawl on him in his sleep, lol (and that’s with only a few in the house). Those were annoying. I imagine an infestation would be worse and this post is awesome to help with the prob.
I actually laughed out loud at the thought of your child putting toilet paper in his ears and nose! I could definitely see my kids doing that!
Wow, 2 simple ingredients and definitely worth a shot if you’re dealing with pesky earwigs.
We find that it’s usually best to keep it as simple as possible!
Whew lord, I hate bugs and I haven’t seen any earwig bugs yet but if I do you better believe I will be using your DIY suggestion.
It’s been a lil while since I’ve seen an earwig on my house. Next time I see them, I’ll have to set up a trap,
I’m going to have to share this with others. I have heard many are having issues with these, but I haven’t seen them yet. I’m sure they’ll appreciate this.
It seems like in the areas where they’re a problem, they are worse this year than usual. Thanks for helping your friends find a simple solution, Kathy!
This DIY earwig trap is fantastic! It’s so simple to make with just two ingredients. I love the practical approach and how easy it is to manage an earwig problem without using chemicals. Thank you for sharing this effective solution!
We try our hardest to use no chemicals if possible. This trap is definitely effective enough that we’ve never needed to use anything else!
Ick I so hate these things. I will have to make the traps for sure.
I need to try this. The bugs here have been driving me crazy.
It seems like a worse than usual year for bugs, at least in our area. I hope this helps you!
I love how easy this is!
We’re all about keeping it simple and as natural as possible!
You’re right…totally disgusting. Great tip. What works for boxelder bugs when they get out of hand? They invite themselves in when they cluster on the front door!
For box elder bugs, we fill a bucket with soapy water, and knock them into the bucket. I also use this method when the milkweed beetles get out of hand. The soap basically suffocates them– it’s almost instantaneous.
trap worked fine, till the morning it disappeared. Local bear decided he liked the oil/soy sauce mix, with a side of earwigs.
Yikes!
Do you sink the container in the dirt? Can they climb up the side of a plastic container? Thank you?
I leave it on top of the ground, but I put it next to a wall for them to climb up.
What if they are in your house?
Will this still work?? Or is it a horrible idea?!
Then again you have to ask “why” do you have an earwig problem? Seems to me they eat ants. Treat the ants, no food, no earwig, right?
I haven’t actually heard of them eating ants, so I’m not sure about that. However, they do eat on our apples, and other things in our garden, so unfortunately they’ll have plenty to eat as long as we continue growing our own food. We don’t use chemicals in our garden, so this is an effective way to manage the population.
I am trying this tonight, and I am both excited and afraid of what I’ll find in the morning! Been sweeping/vacuuming every day and by the evening there’s at least half a dozen in the same areas I just cleaned a few hours ago. I know it’ll probably be bad! Also – cayenne pepper kills ants, and tea tree oil deters spiders and roaches. Cheers!
Thanks for the tips for ants and roaches! I hope the traps worked well for you! If you have any problems, let me know– I’m happy to help you trouble shoot.
Hi, the canola oil and soy sauce dont mix ? the sauce stays in the bottom ?
That’s okay if they don’t mix. The smell of the soy sauce will lure them in, and the oil makes it so they can’t climb back out.
You made me laugh with the Nose Strip reference, never used them but totally remember them.
Mike
And totally forgot to mention I am trying your trap tonight. I’ve lived out in the Country for 7 years and every couple years (weather cycle) I get innodated with these lil F*****s.
How did the trap work for you?
They were just so disgusting, but you *had* to look! Lol. I’m glad I could give you a chuckle. 🙂
How many nights does it take until all the earwigs are dead? I set foot traps in my dahlia bed. I did see some earwigs in each one today, but not nearly as many as I hoped to see. Should I leave the trays there for 2-3 nights? Thanks
I usually leave them out for several nights.
It’s Just like Fishing! You Bait the Hook, Cast out the line, if nothing bites, Reel it in, check the bait, Cast it out again!🤷🏻♂️🤣 duh!🙄🤭
Side note: earwigs make great fish bait for panfish and trout
Good to know! Thanks for sharing that idea!
This worked amazingly! I set it out and overnight I had caught almost as many earwigs in my trap as you had in your picture. Both amazing and disgusting!
I’m so glad it worked for you, Kelsey! It’s absolutely disgusting, but it works wonders!
Sooooo going to try this!! Tired of my garden being eaten up by these guys. I’ve seen so many posts about this but no pictures like yours. The proof is in the pudding. I’m finally convinced! Thank you!
I will be sending this post to all my friends! Those things are SO awful! YUCK!
They really are nasty, but this trap works incredibly well!