Problems with earwigs

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portagee25 Yreka, CA Jul 21, 2006

What do you use to get rid of the earwigs?

Post #2529789
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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jul 21, 2006

You can take a rolled up newspaper, wet it, and put it near where you're finding them in the evening, then in the morning a bunch of them will have crawled into the rolled up paper and you can throw them all out together.

Post #2530437
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magoobu Phoenix, MD(Zone 7a) Jul 23, 2006

Really? that is weird I will have to try that one I hate those things!!!
why do they go to the paper??

Post #2537700
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White_Hydrangea Aurora, CO(Zone 5a) Jul 23, 2006

I imagine they like the dampness.

Lee Valley also has some earwig traps for sale.

I have to admit, since I put in the ultrasonic pest repellers, I haven't seen a single earwig, although spiders are still a problem.

Post #2539346
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Poochella Issaquah, WA(Zone 7a) Jul 23, 2006

They like to crawl into anything dark and deemed a good hiding place- like flower petals! I haven't done the newspaper thing, but would recommend you drown any earwigs you catch in soapy water. They are tough little buggers even when you cut them in half!

Another thing I just heard on our local gardening radio show: cut a water bottle/pop bottle into halves. Place some- tablespoon, or teaspoon of stinky tuna flavored cat food into the bottom end. Invert the cut off drinking end of the bottle, insert it into the bottom and tape around to secure the junction. Place that trap on the ground by your earwig problem and hopefully they will crawl in after the tuna and can't find their way out. I tried this last year and caught a slug, but I don't think I used tuna cat food.

Earwigs have their place in the scheme of things, but their scheme has got to change from nibbling my dahlias to some other area.

Post #2539407
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tonyjr Union City, CA(Zone 9b) Jul 24, 2006

A very successful method to get rid of earwigs is to take a shallow, straight-sided container and fill it half full with vegetable oil. Clean out the bodies every day and you may reuse the oil as often as you like.

Post #2541383
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sannajane Eureka, CA Jul 25, 2006

Now that's one I haven't heard! sounds like a good one! I just got back from my garden walk, and found three (3!) earwigs in the top leaves of one of my new brugmansias. For some reason they (knock on wood) haven't bothered my dahlias much this year so I was surprised to see them in the brug! I think I'll go roll up some newspaper and find some oil to put out! Just to be doubly sure!

Sanna

Post #2544409
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