
Dealing with Earwigs Organically
All over the Western United States, gardeners and farmers have been reporting an increased number of earwigs. Earwigs are omnivores that eat other insects, rotting plant material like fallen leaves, and the tender shoots and fruits of some of our favorite garden plants. If their numbers are relatively low we might not even notice them as they are active during the night and don't do much damage until their populations increase. If their numbers are high we can face innumerable challenges in our gardens as a result- from seedlings getting munched before they can even grow, to fruit and leaves made inedible by their frass (poop).
Earwigs love the heat and spend the winters 6 feet underground, in nests that are all set to hatch in the spring when temperatures are warm enough. The colder the winter, the more of these earwigs and nests die, setting back their numbers the following spring. When winters are warmer more survive and all it takes is going out with a headlamp on a warm August night to see the results. We've gone out to see hundreds of eerie earwigs swarming some of their (and our) favorite foods.
Besides going out at night, you can spot earwigs in your garden by noticing some of these tell-tale signs:
-Lacey looking damage to leaves (see above photo)
-Seedlings munched off at the stem
-Large groups of them living under garden debris during the day
-Earwig frass, which looks like small round dots the size of a period, in cozy places like lettuce leaf folds and broccoli heads
While they don't feast on all plants, they do have some favorites which include:
-Basil
-Zinnias and other flowers
-Any and all beans
-Potato leaves
-Corn silk
-Any and all new seedlings
The earwigs have gotten so bad in our garden the last few years, we've had to get creative to combat them. Here are some of our favorite methods:
1. Plant earlier in the spring: This is our strongest defense against earwigs, as they won't emerge until the soil has really warmed up. We have learned to sow many of the plants that earwigs love before they have emerged from the ground. We are planting them earlier than we would ordinarily, so we cover them with row cover in case of frost.
2. Reduce debris in the garden: Earwigs need cool and dark places to hide during the day, like under leaves, pots, buckets, mulch, and rocks. Reduce the amount of this sort of thing in your garden.
3. Ensure plants are healthy: Earwigs love young shoots and usually won't touch well established plants. If plants can get big before damage occurs, they have a fighting chance. Plants that are water or nutrient stressed are the perfect target for earwigs.
4. Create earwig traps in sensitive plantings: There are a few different ways to make earwig traps. We use cat food cans with about an inch of water, a drop of vegetable oil to break the water's surface tension, and a drop of soy sauce to attract the earwigs. Earwigs go in expecting something meaty (remember they are omnivores) and drown in the water/oil mixture. This isn't practical over large areas, but can be used in small newly seeded areas or other vulnerable spots.
Earwigs love the heat and spend the winters 6 feet underground, in nests that are all set to hatch in the spring when temperatures are warm enough. The colder the winter, the more of these earwigs and nests die, setting back their numbers the following spring. When winters are warmer more survive and all it takes is going out with a headlamp on a warm August night to see the results. We've gone out to see hundreds of eerie earwigs swarming some of their (and our) favorite foods.
Besides going out at night, you can spot earwigs in your garden by noticing some of these tell-tale signs:
-Lacey looking damage to leaves (see above photo)
-Seedlings munched off at the stem
-Large groups of them living under garden debris during the day
-Earwig frass, which looks like small round dots the size of a period, in cozy places like lettuce leaf folds and broccoli heads
While they don't feast on all plants, they do have some favorites which include:
-Basil
-Zinnias and other flowers
-Any and all beans
-Potato leaves
-Corn silk
-Any and all new seedlings
The earwigs have gotten so bad in our garden the last few years, we've had to get creative to combat them. Here are some of our favorite methods:
1. Plant earlier in the spring: This is our strongest defense against earwigs, as they won't emerge until the soil has really warmed up. We have learned to sow many of the plants that earwigs love before they have emerged from the ground. We are planting them earlier than we would ordinarily, so we cover them with row cover in case of frost.
2. Reduce debris in the garden: Earwigs need cool and dark places to hide during the day, like under leaves, pots, buckets, mulch, and rocks. Reduce the amount of this sort of thing in your garden.
3. Ensure plants are healthy: Earwigs love young shoots and usually won't touch well established plants. If plants can get big before damage occurs, they have a fighting chance. Plants that are water or nutrient stressed are the perfect target for earwigs.
4. Create earwig traps in sensitive plantings: There are a few different ways to make earwig traps. We use cat food cans with about an inch of water, a drop of vegetable oil to break the water's surface tension, and a drop of soy sauce to attract the earwigs. Earwigs go in expecting something meaty (remember they are omnivores) and drown in the water/oil mixture. This isn't practical over large areas, but can be used in small newly seeded areas or other vulnerable spots.