Garden pest hacks

[Double R]

We are having a horrible year with garden pests. One of which is earwigs. Worse than ever before. Saw a “trap” I’m going to try and wondering if anyone else has already had luck with it.
Take a cup and bury it in the soil to the top. Add olive oil and a couple drops of soy sauce. Supposedly the soy sauce is the attractant and the oil keeps them in. Not sure why on the olive oil vs maybe vegetable oil. That could get expensive pretty quickly. May try both and see if there’s a difference.
Anyone done this? DE just isn’t cutting it this season. Any other tips?

 

[Amish Heart]

I've never tried that, but never had earwigs. I've used soap sprays, added lady bugs, and have used DE. That works on ants. I had a ton of ants going after seed starter soil in my greenhouse.
Let us know how it works

 

[Weedygarden]

I have earwigs. I thought they had killed my rhubarb, but it is back. Someone recommended that I use cedar mulch in my yard. I did. I didn't see any earwigs for years, but I saw some last year. I need to mulch with more cedar again this year.

 

[joel]

https://laidbackgardener.blog/2021/05/26/controlling-cabbageworms/#comments

 

[sonya123]

https://laidbackgardener.blog/2021/05/26/controlling-cabbageworms/#comments

we have those too , yuck
I am going to put viper dust on some of my plants already this year

 

[UrbanHunter]

We are having a horrible year with garden pests. One of which is earwigs. Worse than ever before. Saw a “trap” I’m going to try and wondering if anyone else has already had luck with it.
Take a cup and bury it in the soil to the top. Add olive oil and a couple drops of soy sauce. Supposedly the soy sauce is the attractant and the oil keeps them in. Not sure why on the olive oil vs maybe vegetable oil. That could get expensive pretty quickly. May try both and see if there’s a difference.
Anyone done this? DE just isn’t cutting it this season. Any other tips?

It sound a lot like the traps for slugs only beer is the attractant, in that case you wipe the oil (I used vegetable oil) on the inside of the container (plastic cup) and put a bit of beer in the bottom. The slugs go for the smell of the beer and then drown in the beer when they can't climb back up the sides because of the oil...

 

[Pearl]

It sound a lot like the traps for slugs only beer is the attractant, in that case you wipe the oil (I used vegetable oil) on the inside of the container (plastic cup) and put a bit of beer in the bottom. The slugs go for the smell of the beer and then drown in the beer when they can't climb back up the sides because of the oil...

Tried that but I kept drinking the beer

 

[Neb]

A hack that I use for my potatoes is to grow multiple varieties. The little beetles that bore holes in the leaves favor the Russet potatoes and the other varieties escape.

The use of a sacrificial variety can be used for other stuff.

Ben

 

[Double R]

When I checked at midnight the earwigs were out in force. Not a single one in the traps at that point but there were plenty destroying my almost ready to pick strawberries. Lots of them all over the garden. It was pointless but when I covered the strawberry plants and surrounding ground again in DE I went around the garden and put some on every darn earwig is saw. They were all over the leaves of our squash, pumpkins etc. grrrrrrr So frustrating. Will check the “traps” again this evening and update the post with results.

 

[Amish Heart]

Earwigs don't have wings, do they? Where do they hide out in the daytime? I'd do a search and destroy

 

[Neb]

I had seen ear wigs in the end of corn cobs under the silks but never had any damage from them. Maybe the praying mantis keep them under control.

Off topic
This topic got me searching for a Night Gallery segment named "The ear wig" because it was the most horrifying episode I ever saw. I did not find that episode but I did find this gem



Ben

Edit
The caterpillar was the title

 

[Double R]

Earwigs don't have wings, do they? Where do they hide out in the daytime? I'd do a search and destroy

I don’t think they do have wings but I am not sure. I’ve never seen them fly or try to fly. I’m not sure where they would be hiding by day. I’ve seen them under pots when we move them. I do know I just saw a video about putting down corrugated (inside) cardboard and they will hide between and you can dispose of them during the day when they are hiding in it. May try that also

 

[joel]

Earwig eat flowers & hide in mulch,anywhere that is wet, one of the ways to keep them from invading is to have a moat of dry rock or sand around your beds/garden. Diatomaceous earth may help control them also.

 

[Pearl]

When I checked at midnight the earwigs were out in force. Not a single one in the traps at that point but there were plenty destroying my almost ready to pick strawberries. Lots of them all over the garden. It was pointless but when I covered the strawberry plants and surrounding ground again in DE I went around the garden and put some on every darn earwig is saw. They were all over the leaves of our squash, pumpkins etc. grrrrrrr So frustrating. Will check the “traps” again this evening and update the post with results.

 

[Dani]

Have you tried a cup of beer buried down in the ground?

 

[Spikedriver]

Have you tried a cup of beer buried down in the ground?

Seems like a terrible waste of beer. I would have to get the worst beer possible, like Keystone or Milwaukee's Best, or I would feel bad putting it in the ground...

 

[Double R]

Have you tried a cup of beer buried down in the ground?

Beer? No. What kind of beer? Think hubby only drinks dark beer. I’m willing to try almost anything at this point. My strawberries I should have harvested this evening are devoured. I’m so disappointed. Still not a single earwig in the “traps” but seeing a lot of them so clearly that doesn’t work.

 

[Dani]

You would be surprised how many critter crawly's are attracted to it.

 

[Spikedriver]

You would be surprised how many critter crawly's are attracted to it.

I used to have a dog that would have been attracted to it too. At a keg party in the back yard he would go around begging for people to give him beer. I think that dog probably drank half the keg...

 

[joel]

It is the yeast in the beer, snails & slugs love it almost as much as humans, it will drown the earwigs.
An 6-8 ounce cup buried level with the ground & filled half of beer, then wait. I have never heard of it working on Earwigs. Please let us know how it work.

 

[Neb]

Seems like a terrible waste of beer. I would have to get the worst beer possible, like Keystone or Milwaukee's Best, or I would feel bad putting it in the ground...

Thems fighting words.

Keystone fits my my budget.

Ben

 

[SheepDog]

Earwigs like cool dark spaces. Wood planks, cardboard, metal sheets or nearly anything that covers the ground is their spot.
They are beetles so they have wings but they may not be able to fly. Liquid dish soap and borax will kill them quickly. Use a spray bottle set on narrow fan or stream. It also works on hornets, wasps, and bees.

 

[Double R]

Thanks! @SheepDog Is borax safe for use around the garden veggies?

 

[SheepDog]

I think so, it's safe around pets and it's used in eye wash (boric acid).

 

[joel]

Issue: June 29, 2002
Boric acid in garden to kill roaches?
Question:
I read that boric acid can be used to kill roaches. Can I use boric acid in my flower beds to keep the roaches from coming indoors?

Answer:
Boric acid is effectively used as an indoor treatment for roaches. Use only boric acid whose container is labeled for roach control. As roaches crawl through an area treated with the powdered boric acid, it collects on their legs and body. As the roaches later groom themselves, they will ingest the boric acid and die.

Boric acid is intended for indoor use, not outdoor use. Boric acid can kill your plants as well as it can kill roaches. The boron in boric acid is a nutrient needed in very small quantities by plants. Even a little too much boron is toxic to plants. Most of our Southwestern soils have adequate concentrations of boron, and additions of boric acid can quickly create a toxic situation.

 

[joel]

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/borax-uses-vegetable-gardening-27721.html

https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Earwigs#:~:text=Boric acid powder is a,come in contact with it.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I like this approach, use your almost empty beer can as the trap! The recycler's my not care for it, but who't going to tell them.

https://dengarden.com/gardening/How-To-Get-Rid-Of-Slugs-and-Earwigs

 

[joel]

Fun fact, most slug & snail eat rotten decay, only a few eat your live plants. One female can lay thousands of eggs.
In compost piles or rotten brush, lumber, stacks of pot,cans, any place cool & wet.
A neat garden has less places for insects,rodents & snake looking for insects & rodents.

 

[Double R]

Thanks @joel I am going to try several of the methods in the links.

 

[Dani]

You would be surprised how many critter crawly's are attracted to it.

I would think any would work. I use Bud Light because that is what is normally in the fridge.