Earwigs are the last thing any gardener wants to see crawling through their plants. With a healthy appetite for foliage, flowers, and even fruits, these pests can quickly turn a beautiful garden into a patch of chewed-up leaves. While they occasionally help by eating other pests like slugs and snails, an earwig infestation can be destructive if left unchecked. Here’s how to identify earwigs and keep them from taking over your garden.
What Are Earwigs?
Earwigs are small, elongated insects known for their rear pincers, which they use for defense and hunting. They are nocturnal, hiding in dark, moist places during the day and coming out at night to search for food.
These pests thrive in gardens because of the moisture, shade, and abundance of food. While they’ll eat just about anything, some of their favorite garden snacks include squash, potatoes, dahlias, marigolds, and beans. They can also devour seedlings before they even get a chance to bloom.
Earwigs multiply quickly, with females laying up to 30 eggs twice a year. This rapid reproduction can lead to a garden infestation in no time.
Signs of an Earwig Problem
It can be tricky to spot earwigs since they only come out at night, but here’s what to look for:
How to Prevent Earwigs in Your Garden
Keep Your Garden Clean
Earwigs are attracted to decomposing plant material, so regular cleanup is essential.
Use Dry Gravel or Mulch
Since earwigs love moisture, adding dry gravel or coarse mulch around your plants can deter them. They dislike crawling through rough, dry materials, making your garden less inviting.
Eliminate Excess Light
Earwigs are drawn to bright lights at night. Reduce or eliminate outdoor lighting near your garden to avoid attracting them. If lighting is necessary, consider using motion-activated or yellow-toned bulbs that are less appealing to insects.
By keeping your garden clean, reducing moisture, and limiting light sources, you can make your outdoor space far less inviting to earwigs. With these tips, you’ll be able to protect your plants and enjoy a thriving, earwig-free garden.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
