Earwigs taking over your home or garden?
Whether they are called earwigs, earwigs or earwigs, the good news is that this little invader is harmless.
If this brown insect has a bad reputation, it is because it is often the victim of its unfavorable physique.
In particular because of these two claws which are at the back of its body which it uses to defend itself.
But rest assured, they are harmless against humans!
Despite its name, this critter does not pinch, pierce or crawl into ears.
In fact, its name comes from its pliers, the cerques, which resemble the instrument used before to pierce the ears of girls.
The earwig is an inconspicuous insect that flees daylight. It prefers the shade and all the little corners where it can hide.
For example in the cracks of the house, plants, stones, heaps of leaves, plants...
Even if it is ultimately harmless, its presence can be disturbing.
If you want to get rid of earclips, there are easy and inexpensive tricks.
Since they burrow in dark, damp spaces, all you need to do is set down your natural, homemade traps there. Watch:
Earwigs love vegetable oil. So grandma's trick is to make a trap out of oil.
- Collect a small box whose edge is not very high. For example, a can of sardines, a can of tuna, the lid of a pot, a pot of yoghurt can do the trick.
- Locate the passage areas of the earwigs in the vegetable patch, on the terrace, in the garden.
- Dig a hole and bury the boxes to the edge or put it on your terrace.
- Pour 2 cm of vegetable oil in it:you can recover oil that you used for cooking.
The earwigs will want to taste this "nectar" and fall into the box where they will drown.
This technique works very well. If you doubt it:watch this video. It's in English, but the result is breathtaking!
Know that you can replace the vegetable oil with a sweet substance (fruit juice…) or peanut butter. Use a bottom of a fruit juice bottle, add a little water without rinsing it and do the same.
- Take a stoneware pot that you fill with damp straw and/or damp newspaper.
- Turn the pot upside down on the ground.
- Place small wooden rods to make an opening for insects. You need to leave a small space for the insects to get into the pot.
Some plant a stick and put the pot upside down on it as in the photo. The earwigs will take advantage of the night to climb the stick to the pot.
- In the morning, collect the pot and shake it to knock out the insects that have taken refuge there at night. All you have to do is get rid of it.
In the evening, install strips of double-sided Scotch tape to trap the earwigs where they pass.
You can also buy effective sticky boxes to trap cockroaches, spiders and other invasive insects.
To trap earwigs, make them a shelter that will attract them. All you have to do is pick them up in the morning and get rid of them.
Here's how:
- Take an old newspaper.
- Make it a not too tight roll.
- Hold it with a rubber band.
- Place the rolled up newspaper in places where earwigs hide, in the vegetable garden, near flower pots.
- In the morning, take your roller and shake it over a bucket of water. You can also put them in your fireplace or stove.
Instead of using newspaper, you can also cut several pieces of garden hose and tie them together.
The earwigs will take up residence there and all you have to do is collect them.
The advantage of this trap is that it is infinitely reusable, unlike newspaper.
- Take a small cardboard box with a lid. Near the base, make holes through which insects can pass.
- Inside the box, prepare a small feast for them:decomposing plants, leftover meals...
- Close the box:the inside should be dark.
- Place the box in a strategic place in the evening.
- In the morning, dispose of your guests!
Composed of algae and fossilized micro-organisms, this natural insecticide is non-toxic.
Diatomaceous earth maintains the health of humans and pets. This biological insecticide has been used for a very long time to protect crops.
Just sprinkle it where earwigs go to make it an effective repellent.
The small crystals that compose it have the particularity of being sharp. Insects that crawl on diatomaceous earth will not survive.
Did you know that earwigs feast on aphids?
If you have earwigs in your vegetable garden, it may be good news since it will help eliminate them!
Maybe… because the earwig will not necessarily be satisfied with aphids.
It is omnivorous and will appreciate rotting plants and ripe fruit, with a weakness for peaches, plums and apricots.
Generally, he is not very fond of healthy vegetables and fruits. But if it turns out that if he has a shortage of small pests, he will not be picky.
It will eat anything it finds, such as the leaves of vegetables from the garden!
Tell yourself that if you are facing an invasion of earwigs, it is because its prey is also present in quantity.
If he goes inside the house, it is to look for forgotten food. All tricks are good to get home.
They can enter through cracks of course, cling to the bottom of your pants or even hide under the cushions of outdoor chairs.
Once in the house, they will take refuge in small dark and humid spaces.
To avoid attracting earwigs to your home and keeping them away, you need to take precautions.
It is recommended not to leave decomposing plants near the house.
Take care to pick up dead leaves and all other dead vegetation.
Repair cracks near windows, doors and outdoor faucets. Put or repair screens on windows.
