Have you ever uncovered earwigs after moving something in your garden like a bag of mulch, composted manure or potting soil?When I was little, my sister and I would find them crawling around the foundation of my parents' house. Afraid of the large forcep-like pincers at their tail end, we called them pincer-bugs. (My husband's family called them "sleeslacks".) Intimidating as they may be, the pincers won’t hurt you. They only use their pinchers when eating and mating.
Omniverous...
Despite their creepy appearance, earwigs have a taste for aphids, mites, nematodes, snails and slugs that qualifies them as a beneficial insect. On the other hand, they are ominivores who will also enjoy munching on many of the plants in your garden. Some of their favorite snacks are herbs, lettuce, strawberries, potatoes, corn silk tassels, and flowers like butterfly bush, hollyhocks, dahlias, marigolds, roses, and zinnias. They can also be a pest of fruits like berries and apricots and
peaches.
Like other uninvited creatures in our gardens, in small numbers they're tolerable. Once they begin noticibly damaging your fruit, tunnel into flower buds and eat your seedlings and foliage, even leaving their droppings in your lettuce patch, they become pests. When that happens, a little patience and knowledge can solve your problems.
Night owls...
Earwigs eat at night and escape the heat of the day by sneaking into damp, cozy places (under potted plants, between leaves, under mulch, etc.). With a nearby food supply, earwigs think a red carpet was rolled out for them. Usually the damage is minor, unless their populations are hgh. They are unusual among insects in that the female fusses over her eggs and nymphs, and uses her pincers to protect them. Adults overwinter in the soil. Earwig damage mimics damage from caterpillars and slugs; be sure you've identified the real culprits by looking for feeding earwigs on your plants after dark.
European...
Eearwigs live throughout North America. The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) is most problematic in the north, while the ringlegged earwig (Euborellia annulipes) lives in the South. Some even have wings, although you won't see them fly. Earwigs overwinter as adults under garden debris, stones, and boards as well as in soil. They lay clusters of round, white eggs in the soil in late winter. The babies, aka larvae, hatch in spring and are just smaller versions of the adults.
Predator or Prey...
The earwig's only insect predator in North America is the tachinid fly. Planting alyssum, calendula, dill, and fennel attracts tachinid flies.
Roll Up The Red Carpet...
- Mulch does so well at retaining moisture, it provides great daytime hiding spots for earwigs. and pull mulch slightly away from plants and foundations You only have to do this temporarily, until the earwigs move on.
- Near foundations switch your mulch to dry gravel, stone dust or crushed rock.
- Space plants like peas and beans further apart to avoid an earwig infestation by reducing dark, damp spaces.
- Sprinkle bay leaves on top of the soil to deter Earwigs from entering your house and container plants.
- Earwigs are attracted to lights, so eliminate or reduce lighting around foundations.
- An even coating of petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) on the stems of flowers like dahlias will keep earwigs out. at the base of woody plants.
- Diatomaceous earth is often cited as a great way to deal with slugs and earwigs. It is a fine, powdery dust made up of tiny shards that are painful for the pests to cross.
- Sprinkle a 2-inch-wide circle of diatomaceous earth only around garden beds, at the base of plants, and anywhere you've caught them hanging out during the day.
- Repeat applications after heavy rains.
- Breathing the dust is not good for your lungs.
- Wet the plants or ground first to reduce some of the dust. Wearing a mask is a good idea.
- Be sure to read and follow all package directions and cautions EXACTLY.
TRAP...
Earwig traps can be made from many common household items. Set your traps where you've seen earwigs and near victimized plants before dark. In the morning, dump the contents of your traps into a bucket of soapy water or dispose of the trap and its victims in a tightly tied plastic bag.1. Roll-up newspapers or cardboard filled with straw and taped shut at one end.
2. Roll up and dampen a few newspaper(s) and secure them with an elastic.
3. Water and Oil Traps Vary, but should be sunk into the ground so that the rim is level with the soil.
a. Fill small tuna or cat food cans with 1/4 inch of oil (preferably fish oil). Adding some soy sauce or rotting fruit helps to attract earwigs.
b. Plastic lids punched with small holes filled with some water and a layer of oil and a drop of dish soap is another type of trap.
4. Lengths of old hose, or small boxes with holes cut in the sides and baited with oatmeal have been known to attract and trap earwigs.
SHAKE 'EM OFF...
Place a light-colored cloth beneath an infested plant and shake or tap the branches. The earwigs should fall onto the cloth and can be disposed of in soapy water.
TAKE OUT SOME AGGRESSION...
"The Garden Stomp" is also known as the pick-squish-stomp method. Put on your favorite dance music (optional) and footwear and stomp on them as they skitter across the patio or sidewalk. You won't get great numbers this way, but it's satisfying and burns some calories. This method is equally effective on Japanese Beetles. AU NATURAL...
Since earwigs have beneficial qualities, the above methods are meant to reduce their population and limit their damage to your garden. With the exception of the Diatomacious earth (which my Daddy swore by), the above methods are safer than chemical treatments and empower you as Master of your own Garden.
Good luck, everyone.
Sources include:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/pests/2000072516006476.html
http://gardening.about.com/od/insectpestid/qt/Earwigs-in-the-garden.htm
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