Ewww! Earwigs!

Created on 7/22/2009

I don’t think there is another garden pest with more of a freak-out factor than earwigs. They are gnarly looking because of their centipede-like body and pinchers, and usually evoke, “Ewwww!” when spotted, particularly if a bunch of them are spilling out of a head of lettuce. To make them even less appealing, they will pinch, and they produce a foul smelling liquid from glands if alarmed.

They earned their name from a European superstition that claimed they crawled into peoples’ ears, then burrowed into their brains causing insanity. If that doesn’t give you the heebies, I don’t know what will. Thankfully, they’re not going to invade our skulls at night, but they’re still a nuisance to have in the garden, and can bring gardeners to madness.

Even though earwigs typically favor damp conditions, we have herds of them in our dry, hot climate. Of course, this means they hang out in the vegetation, which provides moisture, protection and a free meal. Whenever I wash lettuce, cabbage or other greens I’m always on the watch for earwigs. They chew up the leaves and defecate within the plant making a thorough cleaning an absolute must before cooking with the vegetable or making a salad. (I’m trying to teach or two-year old to eat his veggies, so an earwig crawling out of the salad bowl is the last thing I need.)

Controlling them is difficult because they’re so effective in hiding when you want to find them (versus being easy to spot when you don't want to see them!), they only come out at night, plus they’re smart when it comes to overwintering in even the harshest environment. Females lay 50-90 eggs in underground chambers in the fall, and will sometimes burrow up to six-feet deep to keep them safe from freezing. The females actually care for the eggs and feed the newly hatched nymphs, which is unusual for insects.

You can spray Sevin in the places where they stay – under bricks, in the mulch or underneath anything sitting on the soil. They like those dark, damp places. Some gardeners also find it helpful to create a barrier around the garden with the spray. Insecticidal soap will kill them on contact so you can use it directly on the plants, although it doesn’t have the residual effect of Sevin and other chemical options.

If you’re trying to steer away from sprays of any sort to protect the beneficial insects, you can set traps made of rolled up newspaper or cardboard. Place them in areas where the earwigs will congregate in them during the day. Check them in the mornings, and dump any “visitors” into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. Or, you can set out empty tuna cans buried so the tops are flush with the soil line. Add a half-inch of soapy water or vegetable oil. The earwigs crawl in, but they don’t crawl out.

On a positive note, earwigs are omnivores that eat aphids and other tiny insects, although I would say lady bugs don't have to worry that people will buy thousands of earwigs to release into their gardens to control other pests!