Content

• Steps
• Advice

Ear beetles (also called skin beetles) are often annoying, but can be eliminated. These bugs are relatively harmless, but they will eat the leaves of plants, rot the wood and cause damage. Beetles live in damp conditions in the garden or in damp corners of the home. You can attack these bugs directly with natural or chemical insecticides and prevent them from returning by protecting your home and garden.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Get rid of ear bugs

1. 

   Spray a mixture of dish soap mixed with water if you don't want to use pesticides. Pour warm water into a spray bottle, add a few drops of dish soap and shake gently until the mixture turns into a soapy solution. Spray the mixture on the leaves of plants to kill earworms and moisten corners of your home and garden where you spot them.
   • Use this every time you find earworms in or around the house.

2. 

   
   
   Prepare a solution of alcohol-based ear insect repellant for quick results. Pour equal amounts of alcohol and water into a spray bottle. Spray it directly on the earworms when you see them. The alcohol can seep through the wax covering the earworm's armor and kill them instantly.

3. 

   Sprinkle with boric acid powder to kill earworms in difficult to reach places. Boric acid powder is a natural insecticide that kills ear pests on contact. Sprinkle this powder where earworms can crawl, such as along baseboards. Be sure to keep children and pets away, as boric acid can be harmful by contact.
   • Buy boric acid at home appliance stores or online.
   • Use the right amount of boric acid, just be sure to sprinkle it out of the reach of children and pets.
   • You can also sprinkle boric acid powder around wooden piles or damp corners of your garden to kill ear bugs.

4. 

   
   
   Make an outdoor ear insect trap at night. Mix in a bucket of 4 parts warm water with 1 part dishwashing liquid and stir well until it is foamy. Place the bucket outdoors with a light that illuminates the soapy water. Ear beetles will be attracted to light and drown in a bucket of water.

5. 

   Make a trap with cooking oil and soy sauce to catch and kill earworms. Pour 1 part soy sauce and 1 part olive oil or vegetable oil into a plastic container. Poke a few holes about 0.6 cm in diameter in the lid and cover the box. The smell of the mixture will attract the earworms, they will crawl in and drown.
   • The trap box should be about 2.5 cm full.
   • If you set the trap in your garden, bury the box in the ground as deep as the lid.

6. 

   
   
   Use a vacuum cleaner where there are many earworms. Deal with large numbers of earworms in one place with a vacuum cleaner. Aspirate as many earworms as possible and clean the area to remove any bug eggs, if any. Dispose of the garbage bag in the vacuum cleaner if possible or pour it into a bucket of soapy water to kill ear bugs.
   • Get your vacuum cleaner ready before you approach the bugs to prevent them from crawling around.

7. 

   Attract birds to your garden to naturally kill earworms. Birds are a natural predator for earworms. You can attract birds to your garden by installing a bird feeder or bath so that the garden attracts birds. You can also plant berry bushes to attract birds.

8. 

   Sprinkle the ear insect repellant about 2-3 meters away from home. There are a variety of granular insecticides that are specially formulated to kill earworms. Sprinkle one of these medications on the surface of the grass in your garden, about 2-3 meters away from your foundation. Spray water on the grass immediately after spraying to let the medicine soak into the soil, where earworms usually lay eggs. advertisement

Method 2 of 2: Prevent earworms from entering your home and garden

1. 

   Fix all holes in the window screens to keep ear bugs from entering your home. Bugs can enter your home through tiny entrances in window screens. Use super glue to fix all openings and tears in the mesh. Fix all openings larger than 2.5 cm using strong glue to fix the patches.
   • If the screen is badly damaged, replace it with a new one to prevent pests from entering your home.

2. 

   Use glue to fill cracks and openings near doorways and entrances. Ear beetles often find their way into homes through gaps around entrances and windows. Use a glue gun to fill small gaps in these areas. Do this every year to prevent insects from entering your home.

3. 

   Repair leaky faucets or drains in and around the home. Humidity is the ideal condition for earworms to live and breed. You should prevent this by checking the water sources in the bathroom, kitchen, basement and outside to make sure the water doesn't leak. You can fix leaky plumbing yourself or call a plumber.

4. 

   Use sodium lamps instead of conventional lamps lit outdoors. Most light bulbs emit a blue wavelength that attracts bugs. Sodium lamps, which are commonly used in cultivation to sow seeds, emit a more yellow light. You should replace bulb bulbs in hallways or around windows with sodium bulbs.
   • Buy sodium bulbs at home stores or online.
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Advice

• Ear beetles are quick and difficult to catch.
• The leaves of the plant eaten by the earworm will be jagged and punctured. You can also see the black earworm's droppings on the leaves.
• Apply oil wax to the base of the plant to prevent the earworm from climbing.
• Ear beetles are more common during the rainy season.
• Check everything you bring in from your garden to avoid bringing earworms into your home.
• Avoid touching earworms as they can bite.