Earwigs / RHS Gardening (2024)

FAQs

Earwigs / RHS Gardening? ›

Earwigs are largely nocturnal, coming out to feed at night during late spring to early autumn and prefer soft tissues to older foliage. Earwigs also feed on aphids and some other invertebrates and can help reduce populations particularly in fruit trees.

Earwigs are common garden pests in northern Utah. They chew into buds, leaves, flowers and fruits of many plants, including tree and cane fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. Their typical damage is small, ragged holes chewed in plant tissue.

In dry weather, pull back any mulch around plants plagued by earwigs and sprinkle diatomaceous earth around them. This finely powdered dust scratches their soft body parts and kills earwigs by dehydration. Follow all label directions for using it, as it can be harmful if inhaled.

The problem is when you start seeing hundreds and thousands of them. Once they grow to that extent, they'll start eating your tomatoes, raspberries, and anything else they can reach. If there aren't too many of them, Taun says you can just monitor them.

As our question: “Do coffee grounds attract pests?” — no! The opposite is true. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coffee grounds are an efficient way to keep pests out of your garden.

Earwigs are nocturnal insects. They prefer dark areas and during the day, they can be found hiding in dark areas. Earwigs also need damp areas to survive. They commonly show up in the garden if they can find a moist dark area to survive in, such as mulch, woodpiles, or compost piles.

If there is a home with moist soil around the foundation and an abundance of leaves, dead plant material in the soil, and even live plants such as tender weeds, earwigs will have adequate conditions to eat, hide and rear young.

Spread petroleum jelly around the stems of your plants. Earwigs will hesitate to crawl over it. If they are infesting your woodpile, try sprinkling borax around it, but keep pets and children away from this area after doing so. Oil pit traps are a great remedy for earwigs.

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring powder made from fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms called diatoms. To use DE for earwig control, sprinkle a thin layer of the powder in areas where earwigs are likely to hide, such as under plant debris, around flower beds, and along garden borders.

Host Plants

Earwigs are attracted to young foliage and seedlings, potted plants, and leafy greens, including basil, lettuce and celery.

Is there a plant that repels earwigs? ›

If you notice earwigs in your yard or garden, consider planting deterrent herbs around your home area. Mint, basil, lemon and thyme repel earwigs and other insects from coming near the foundation and doorways. An added bonus – you'll have some fresh herbs for cooking!

General habitat modifications - First, try to eliminate hiding places for these creatures. Remove piles of boards, stones, and debris. Prune away leafy branches of shrubs and trees growing close to the ground; eliminate weedy areas around trunks of woody plants and dense ground covers near flower and vegetable gardens.

Tattered, ugly-looking plants result from earwigs consuming soft foliage found on favorites like coleus, basil and petunia.

Specific essential oils have scents that earwigs dislike. Some of the best scents to keep earwigs away include peppermint, eucalyptus, cinnamon and basil. In order to distribute these scents throughout your house, simply put a few drops of essential oil into some water to dilute it.

Cinnamon doesn't only scare away earwigs, but also co*ckroaches, spiders, fruit flies, ants, wasps, silverfish, mosquitoes, and even bed bugs. Planting companion plants in your garden that repel earwigs is a way to deter them from taking over.

For one, earwigs hate vinegar. Simply wipe any entrance sites such as doors and windows with a concentrated vinegar solution. They won't come in anymore, and the earwigs that are inside should migrate outdoors. Other repellents that have worked for some include citrus oil and vegetable oil.

Despite their scary appearance and reputation, earwigs are not directly harmful to humans. In fact, they are often beneficial, acting as scavengers of decaying matter and predators of insect larvae, slug eggs, aphids, and other garden pests.

Perhaps the greatest danger from earwigs is to garden plants, as earwigs, depending on the species, like to feed on seedlings. There are no known injuries requiring emergency treatment due to earwigs. And the folklore that they can get into your ears and lay eggs or enter the brain is not true.

Earwigs inside the house do not cause any harm or destruction. They are an annoyance or nuisance because of their presence. If disturbed, earwigs may produce a noticeable foul odor. Earwigs found inside the house can be swept or picked up and discarded.

They aren't dangerous – The most damage an earwig's pincer could do is pinch your skin, which may create a small welt. Earwigs aren't aggressive or poisonous, don't transmit diseases, and can't inflict significant structural damage. They might be a nuisance, but they're not dangerous.