Earwigs
Earwigs in your garden can be a bad thing. But according to pest control professionals, Earwigs can infest many different areas in a home. Because of their ability to spread out, it may be necessary to use several insecticide products to control them effectively. A pest control professional will have the products and equipment you need to control earwigs effectively. But just what is an earwig?
Some have undoubtedly heard that earwigs burrow into your ears while you sleep. However, this myth is not founded in any scientific basis. Earwigs are somewhat frightening because of the pincers on the back of their abdomens. They use pincers for defense and for sparing with rival earwigs. There are more than twenty species of earwigs in the United States. Adults range in size from 5-25 mm. They are slender insects with two pair of wings. Some species produce a foul smelling liquid that they use for defense.
Earwigs are primarily active at night. During the day they hide in cracks in damp areas. They live under rocks and logs and in mulch in flowerbeds. Earwigs eat plants and insects. Earwigs are attracted to lights so they become a nuisance on porches and patios on summer evenings. In the morning they will be gathered under things like cushions that were left outside overnight. Earwigs move into homes in order to find food or shelter due to changes in weather.
Outdoors, earwigs spend the winter in small burrows in the ground. In spring the female lays eggs in the burrow. She tends the eggs until they hatch. Then she cares for the nymphs until they can find their own food. So when tye get into yur garden, here is a helpful tip from Garden Doctors to help you deal with unwanted guests. However, if the problem persists, contact a pest control professional.
Roll up a dampened newspaper with a little oatmeal or corn meal lined along the inside. Place it next to your trouble spot. The next day, discard the newspaper in the trash or submerge the newspaper into a bucket of hot water. Repeat this every night, but after a week or so you’ll cut down quite a bit of the population. If you feel you’re losing the war on earwigs, you can take some comfort knowing that they have a beneficial side as they eat aphids, caterpillars, fruit worms, spider mites, and thrips.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/homeandgarden/3811264-181/garden-doctors-trouble-with-earwigs
