Earwigs are a pesky, and rather large pest that has been known to wreak havoc on gardens and other natural areas. These pests live in moist environments such as under rocks or fallen logs, but they may also be found inside homes. No matter where they’re found, there are some great ways to get rid of them naturally!
Earwigs are a pesky, and rather large pest that has been known to wreak havoc on gardens and other natural areas. These pests live in moist environments such as under rocks or fallen logs, but they may also be found inside homes. No matter where they’re found, there are some great ways to get rid of them naturally!
Earwigs can cause serious damage to plants by chewing off the leaves and flower heads. They also have very powerful jaws that can cut through stems of young plants like celery or lettuce. The problem with earwigs is their ability to reproduce rapidly; one female earwig can produce up to 250 eggs in her lifetime! Fortunately for gardeners everywhere, there are things you can do at home without having to spend money on a professional exterminator.
Earwigs are a bit of an odd pest in that they aren’t attracted to typical garden bug sprays or repellents such as DEET, but there are definitely things you can do to naturally get rid of earwigs without spending any money. One option is to place lighted candles in the area where you’re noticing earwigs most often. These will attract them to the light and cause them to be run over by cars when they cross roads at night. Another option is to make your own trap for earwigs using some beer, a shallow dish, and some vinegar. In the shallow dish put about an inch of beer and the dish should be near where you’re noticing earwigs most. They will find their way in and drown in the beer when they crawl out. If you don’t want to use such a messy bait, simply trapping them with a flashlight is also effective. Shine the light at an angle so that it is shining into cracks or crevices where they live. They will be attracted to the light and fall into a cup or other container that you’ve set there for this purpose.
There are both natural and manmade repellents that can keep earwigs at bay, too! Garlic is one of the best natural repellents around; it’s scent deters many insects from approaching. Rosemary and peppermint are also great deterrents for earwigs, since they don’t enjoy the smell of these herbs. For a more manmade approach to repelling earwigs, simply sprinkle dried sage leaves that have been crushed on the ground around your garden. The strong scent deters many pests that would otherwise love your garden, and earwigs are definitely no exception to this rule.
To help further deter these pests from entering your garden, you can try placing rusted, rough objects along the edges of your garden. This includes things like steel wool, pieces of old metal or even broken glass. These objects will feel different on their bodies than normal ground, and they won’t feel comfortable in your garden if they crawl on them often. Make sure you keep your garden free of debris so that earwigs don’t have places to hide during the day, because once they’re inside your garden, it can be hard to get rid of them.
If you’re concerned about earwigs eating your plants, try planting marigolds around them. Marigolds are said to keep pests away from a variety of things in the garden, including insects such as earwigs.
Earwigs can be incredibly frustrating pests that do a lot of damage to gardens and other areas where they aren’t wanted. Luckily there are plenty of natural ways to deter them from finding spaces in your home or garden.
