Earwig Problem and a New Garden

I really dislike earwigs. They hatched a few weeks ago and now have wreaked havoc on the Butterfly Bush, the Stella d' Oro lily flowers and the Zinnias.



Butterfly Bush ( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )







( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )Zinnias (or what's left of them)






( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )
Stella d' Oro lily bloom

I tried using diatomaceous earth to get rid of them to no avail. *sigh*
But on the up side, all the plants in the other gardens look good:







( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )






( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )






( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )

Even though the earwigs are destroying some plants, I am not discouraged. Here is another new garden 20'x20' we built last week. So far, there are no plants in there that earwigs like.







( photo / image / picture from Canadian Chelsea's Garden )
Here^ is a new patio my husband is building. He can only work on it after he comes home from his job so it is slow going. I am so excited The patio is in the shade of an old Ash tree.

 

Are you sure that is the work of Earwigs? Seems to me they never eat the leaves of my plants, just the flower petals. My Clematis is one of their favorites.

Your gardens look great and I LOVE that new patio!

 

Yes, I am sure they are earwigs Netty. I see them hiding between the new leaves on the Butterfly Bush. They also like the Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate leaves, leaving them in tatters.

Thank you for your compliments, Netty. :-D
In early March, I was laid off from work so I have been busy playing in the gardens ever since..... and loving it.

 

I often find earwigs in my bird feeders buried among the seeds and corn kernels. The feeders are attached to 6' metal shepard hooks which they still manage to climb up!
Very nice gardens! Your patio is fantastic! Great job :-D

 

Wow, You have a beautiful garden! Sorry to hear about what happened to some of your plants. Worms can be a pain.. my vegetables had been attacked by army worms and nothing's left. I was too late to take some pictures before they were attacked..

By the way, your husband's doing good on his patio job.

 

Your grounds and patio are looking reaslly good. It is as pity that your plants are being devistated by the earwigs.I have had probs with them in the past, but it seems as if they came in waves, so to speak.
I found that the more active that I wasin the gardeen with cleaning, etc...the less they wewre a problem.
I hope that they leave you alone soon.

 

I love your setups there.. At least your flat ., mine is foolish .(Hilly)

Very good work. Are you just using regular rocks out of the woods etc.?

b

 

Your gardens are so wonderful.You might get relief if you get drastic on the earwigs.I would use seven dust on and around where they are eating and destroying the plants.I haven't used seven dust or other such on anything in years but some times it calls for something else.I had army worms once and used 7 dust on them.To keep them away from my plants.

 

Mix molases with a little vegetable oil and thin it down with some water. Not too thin though. Set it in shallow containers under plants around your garden. Check every morning. You will find the containers full of "dead" earwigs. It worked for me more than once and you don't have poison around your animals or kids. dooley

 

Mix molasses with a little vegetable oil and thin it down with some water. Not too thin though. Set it in shallow containers under plants around your garden. Check every morning. You will find the containers full of "dead" earwigs. It worked for me more than once and you don't have poison around your animals or kids. dooley