Earwigs: Friend or Foe?Earwigs spend the winter with me in the soil, so I have lots of time to chat with them about the misunderstandings that often befall these (mostly) harmless creatures. (Think of me as the resident, in-ground insect therapist. You would be surprised at the number of insects that feel misunderstood and in need of a little bit of help.) I would say, that, on the whole they are not harmful to gardeners. They look much scarier than they are—even to plants. What’s In A Name?They got their nickname from the myth that they crawl into sleeping people’s ears and bore into their brains. Not true, so don’t worry about it! Moving on . . .What Earwigs Can Do For YouThey do eat small holes in leaves, though the damage they do to plants also looks like slug and snail damage, so you can never be too entirely certain what insect has done the plant damage. They also eat other insects, including aphids, insect larva, snails and slow-moving insects. They eat the eggs of a destructive moth, the coddling moth, which is also a help.If They Get Out Of ControlWhen their populations reach a certain level, they do more harm than good and need to be controlled. They are most active, destructively, June-October, and their favorite plants are marigolds, vines, clematis, and my favorite, delphinium. There are a variety of ways to do this, both cultural and chemical (with natural chemicals).Earwigs like to live in damp, dark places. Piles of leaves, old boards, and cardboard are attractive places for them to live. To lower their population, get rid of the places they like to live. That will definitely lower the population. Homeless insects are not prolific insects. You can trap earwigs using a roll of wet newspaper. Periodically take the newspaper and throw it away. If you need to resort to control methods other than cultural, there are a number of organic and natural methods you can use to control their numbers. You can trap them with small containers of oil or molasses sunk into the ground near the problem area. Insecticidal soap such as Safer brand can be used. The soap will work to dry out the insects. Diatomaceous earth is also an effective barrier treatment. You can sprinkle it around your most tender plants. I would recommend, highly, that you try cultural controls before trying any insecticides because they do not work as well as simply eliminating their habitats and hangouts. Happy gardening, Geefrank
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