Earwigs, like eathworms, are a big help in converting decaying matter. They specialize in what is above the soil though, eating older leaves and thin stems, dying parts of plants.
But also like slugs and coackroaches they can be pests. Here in my area they ARE pests, as we have them in big numbers, which means that they turn their eye to anything they can then eat: seedlings, new growth in mature vegetables, flowers. You can imagine the damage when they destroy a perfect healthy cucumber flower of when you beautiful baby beets that sprouted two days ago just disappeared. They literally eat plants to the ground in a few days, or should I say, in a few nights.
Like slugs, they are nocturnal. Like slugs, they chomp away big parts of the plant in a raggedy fashion, so it is actually hard to know which culprit you have in your garden until you inspect, at night, with some sort of light. Apparently they come out at twilight and sometimes I even see them during the day. But if we are talking about seedling damage, you have to try and spot them at night. Seedlings are usually in patches exposed to the sun and predators, so earwigs might shy away from those areas during daylight. Whenever you have real darkness (it can be past 10pm depending where you live), bring your lantern or your phone to to cast light straight into the seedling patch or the area where you encounter most damage. As soon as they see the light they run away, either under plants with bigger leaves or even burrowing into the dirt. You need to know that these unmistakable little critters will not leave your garden since they found a reliable source of food. The only way to get rid of them is to reduce their numbers and for that you will have to stay on top of them, for many nights during summer!
In a nutshell, they like moisture, darkness and heat. So dark summer nights is when they are mostly active. For me this is late July and August, precisely when I am starting my fall seedlings in empty spots in my raised beds.
I am by no means an expert but here are a few things I have leaned about and some I have tried and the results I have gotten:
Now, all of he above are deterrents and they do not eliminate the problem. But still, they provide some relief if all you need is a few weeks for your seedlings to develop some more. However, to eliminate them let's dive into he gory stuff.
I hope this was useful and I hope you are also having some good luck controlling earwig damage in your gardens. 😃
But also like slugs and coackroaches they can be pests. Here in my area they ARE pests, as we have them in big numbers, which means that they turn their eye to anything they can then eat: seedlings, new growth in mature vegetables, flowers. You can imagine the damage when they destroy a perfect healthy cucumber flower of when you beautiful baby beets that sprouted two days ago just disappeared. They literally eat plants to the ground in a few days, or should I say, in a few nights.
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| Earwigs have been here! |
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| Napa cabbage, a favorite amongst slugs, earwigs and flea beetles |
Like slugs, they are nocturnal. Like slugs, they chomp away big parts of the plant in a raggedy fashion, so it is actually hard to know which culprit you have in your garden until you inspect, at night, with some sort of light. Apparently they come out at twilight and sometimes I even see them during the day. But if we are talking about seedling damage, you have to try and spot them at night. Seedlings are usually in patches exposed to the sun and predators, so earwigs might shy away from those areas during daylight. Whenever you have real darkness (it can be past 10pm depending where you live), bring your lantern or your phone to to cast light straight into the seedling patch or the area where you encounter most damage. As soon as they see the light they run away, either under plants with bigger leaves or even burrowing into the dirt. You need to know that these unmistakable little critters will not leave your garden since they found a reliable source of food. The only way to get rid of them is to reduce their numbers and for that you will have to stay on top of them, for many nights during summer!
In a nutshell, they like moisture, darkness and heat. So dark summer nights is when they are mostly active. For me this is late July and August, precisely when I am starting my fall seedlings in empty spots in my raised beds.
I am by no means an expert but here are a few things I have leaned about and some I have tried and the results I have gotten:
Deterrents
1 - Garlic and hot pepper
I noticed I had no earwig problems in the beds where I grew onions and garlic, which led me to believe they are not fond of a sulphuric snack. Searching a bit on the internet I confirmed it and apparently they also dislike hot peppers. So, for a few nights I prepared a solution of garlic and neem oil and threw it in the spots I was getting most damage. The oily solution adheres to the plants and sticks to the surface of the soil. You can even smell it in the garden! They left my seedlings in peace there. When I am in a hurry and have no garlicky solution I just sprinkle cayenne and garlic powder in profusion. So far both seem to work, but remember: they are not eating those plants, but they went somewhere else. And I am not using those items in my zucchinni or cucumber flowers, for instance, as this hurts and scares some good pollinators.2 - Expose them to light
Not sure if I am lucky here, but the parts of my garden that are bright in the night do not seem to get much earwig action either. I am considering adding solar powered gardening lights to some of my raised beds. They add a cute interest to the beds and have the added benefit of deterring shy nocturnal critters.3 - Control moisture
That is something I read about and I am unable to do. Not only because here in Quebec we get the most humid summers one can imagine, but also because a moist soil is all I want to avoid having to water my beds all the time and to ensure proper germination. But it is supposed to work and I get for more established plants you can and should let the surface of the soil somewhat dry to discourage earwigs from taking a stroll around there.Now, all of he above are deterrents and they do not eliminate the problem. But still, they provide some relief if all you need is a few weeks for your seedlings to develop some more. However, to eliminate them let's dive into he gory stuff.
4 - Trap them
Diluted beer or soy sauce (you can even combine them) in a half-buried can or cup with a lid and a few holes traps and drowns both earwigs and slugs. But you have to make sure to collect the bugs from inside every morning. I have had mixed success, but hey, one earwig less might be all a seedling needs for survival.5 - Predators
Birds and toads feast on insects during summer and it is such a happy thing to even watch. I discovered a shy toad recently in my garden, but I bet he can barely keep up with my huge earwig infestation. Luckily I have birds, but now I am a little bit divided. Birds make a huge mess in exposed soil when searching for bugs, especially robins and starlings. While it is great to have them around, they destroyed a patch in which I had direct sown some beets. I have decided to replant beets in pots and then wait for transplanting them so I can allow birds to come in and help me clear the soil. Be careful if you have planted peas and have doves around, though. terrible combination as the doves will eat the peas instead!6 -Diatomaceous earth
It is a fine very hard, cutting powder that can cause damage to the outer skins of several small critter, killing them. Another one on my list but I am hesitant to use because- You have to be careful not to breath the powder. Inhaling it causes micro cuts to your bronchi and lungs and the scarring can give you chronic inflammation and breathing problems.
- It is an indiscriminate bug destroyer, hurting all sorts of worms, tiny flies, dusting and adhering to the skin of amphibians... and they breathe through their skins.
7 - Transplant bigger seedling
If everything else fails, and much to the direction I am trying to go after this season, is to allow more time for my seedlings to actually develop into young plants before I transplant them. This requires more time coddling the seedlings, more space usage in my nursery, up-potting plants, but it is honestly feeling like one darn good solution to not have to hunt down earwigs at night. Instead of damage control it feels more nurturing and by the time I can put the plants out I would not need to care if birds would make a mess, since these young plants would not be uprooted as easily as 1-day beet sprout. And I would use a lot less products in the garden by not having to buy neem oil and not wasting my precious garlic and cayenne stock!I hope this was useful and I hope you are also having some good luck controlling earwig damage in your gardens. 😃
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