EARWIGS! AAARRGHGH

Discussion in 'Breeding, Raising, Feeding and Caring for Animals' started by abdullah, Nov 21, 2009.

  1. abdullah

    abdullah Junior Member

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    first of all i think this is a great idea for a forum section.

    second, i have an earwig problem, i got some hens, they cleared up a fair bit, but as the earwigs hide in the day when the hens are on patrol they only cop it when im turning over things in the yard.

    im pretty sure the earwigs have adapted and are hiding in places the hens and even i cannot reach, like under the central heater, in the brick underhouse vents etc, then they come out and feast on anything plant, ive tried using the old butter container with veg oil, that got some, also i now have diotomaceous earth that i can spread around, i dont know if it works though or if im applying enough.

    for now i guess i need to be more consistent with the DE and the 2 traps i have.

    any other ideas?
     
  2. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: EARWIGS! AAARRGHGH

    Hi Abdullah,
    I am guessing it is a reasonably new garden as I have experienced it many times in the past when I have established new gardens for me or clients that earwigs bread up in huge numbers.
    I want to assure you that if you allow for a natural balance to build then the earwigs will be of no great consequence. We see this firstly usually in snail buildup where it seems they come from miles around. Slaters and millipeds do a similar thing but in time they all attract the right preditors and all will be well. In the mean time you will need to control them yourself by giving them hiding places then collecting them for the chooks. Remember that the more of them that are around the quicker the preditors will build so there is once more a balance.
    Good luck
     
  3. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Re: EARWIGS! AAARRGHGH

    G'day Abdullah

    Nice bit of rain we have been having?

    Earwigs - beneficial in small amounts, bit of a problem when the population gets of of control. Hmm, a couple of other tips here:

    https://www.ghorganics.com/page9.html#Earwigs:

    A couple more here:

    https://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74102.html

    And, finally, a few more here from a "master gardener" who advocates for both natural and chemical control, hmm:

    https://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4 ... rwigs1.htm

    Hope that helps. Cheerio, Marko.
     
  4. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: EARWIGS! AAARRGHGH

    I've never thought of them as a problem.

    Is this just another manifestation of a Creepy Crawly Insect Phobia that Mortein et., al., encourages?

    My kids usually made 'pets' of them.
     
  5. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Re: EARWIGS! AAARRGHGH

    They require moist dark areas with vegetative matter. I water an open spot well, toss some fresh or half-dead weeds, then lay down a large piece of cardboard in the late afternoon. The next day, I call my chickens and uncover the feast. Earwigs are quick, but my girls are quicker.

    Sue
     
  6. pumpkin

    pumpkin Junior Member

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    Re: EARWIGS! AAARRGHGH

    Abdullah, it must be the year for earwigs. A friend of mine and I were discussing earwigs only this week in Canberra. There seems to be an infestation here as well. I haven't noticed a problem with them previous to 2009. We are even bringing them in on the brocolli and then finding them in the fridge. Yikes!!

    We are experiencing lots of holes in plant leaves - pumpkins, lettuces, kiwi fruit, jerusalem artichokes and apples - which we are putting down to earwigs as there is no snail or slug slime about.

    We are in an older house and garden but the vegie patch area and apple orcchard (six apples) are relatively new.

    Good to hear chooks will help as the new chookpen and run are almost ready.

    I found this article of interest: https://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/controlling-earwigs.html
     

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