I have a plague of earwigs!

[JacqueslePeacock]

Does anyone know what to do? I am usually opposed to killing wild creatures but these things are taking over and have even started coming in on all the clean washing in vast numbers, roaming around my house and frightening the bejesus out of me.

I don't even know if they are good for my garden or not. Do they eat aphids? I could just about put up with them if so. If they are eating my plants as well as terrorising me, I am going to start thinking about extermination. I don't suppose there are any ways to encourage them politely to leave...?

[oopnorthlass]

Could you make a wasp trap? I made one yesterday and hung it in my plum tree I've already got two wasps and two earwigs in there. I put smooshed grapes in mine.

[NakedPanpipeLady]

Oh dear OP, I feel sorry for you with those creepy things around! Like you, we have earwigs too - however ours luckily stay in the garden and haven't seen any in the house (yet). They tend to hang around either on our washing line pole, bottom of shed door (on the outside) or in 1 of our bird feeders (some birds eat earwigs).

I'm pretty sure I've read on another earwig related thread on MN that ant power also works on earwigs. Not sure how true this is but no harm in having a try if you've already got ant powder (providing you don't have animals/pets etc that may be harmed by the powder).

[JacqueslePeacock]

A wasp trap sounds do-able. How do I make one?

[oopnorthlass]

m.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wasp-Trap

[JacqueslePeacock]

Thank you! I hope it works for earwigs and can contain about 400,000 of them.

[oopnorthlass]

Hope it works! If not, I just received my weekly Gardeners' World email and it says one of the tasks this week is "Catch earwigs in upturned pots crammed with newspaper or straw on canes among dahlias, and destroy any you find"

[JacqueslePeacock]

Right...I'm willing to bet that if Gardener's World says that then they're not helpfully munching on aphids and other pests! In fact I'm beginning to suspect they're responsible for all the holes in my clematis. Wasp trap here I come.

[hollyisalovelyname]

Do you have dahlias in your garden? I think they love dahlias

[hollyisalovelyname]

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