My friends, Jill and Luke, have recently asked me about earwigs. They are a common insect in the garden. They look kind of scary, but they are not harmful to humans or animals. They do not eat living plants, but young earwigs may nibble tender plant tips after they hatch in the spring. Usually, earwigs are blamed for the damage that other bugs have caused. Earwigs feed on a variety of dead and living organisms. They are voracious feeders of insects, mites, aphids, insect eggs, and larvae, providing a natural control against garden pests. They also eat decaying plant remains. Earwigs are part of nature's clean-up crew!So, you see, earwigs can be a good bug! If you still want to rid your garden of them, there are some simple solutions. Earwigs hide during the day in dark, sheltered places. They come out at night and can be trapped by providing rolled up newspapers, or laying wet newspapers, burlap or boards on the ground for them to hide under. Collect and relocate or destroy them.
Or you can do what we did....spray the outside perimeter of the house. They were gone in 2 days. Not the best solution, as I really don't like spraying insecticides anywhere near my home...but I was so tired of seeing them nearly every time I went into the bathroom or kitchen. The night one was in my drinking water, I said, okay, I've had enough.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize they are part of nature's clean up crew! Sorry :(