Who are the earwigs?
Earwigs are flattened, brown, crawling insects with sharp pinchers on one end. The pinchers are used for killing prey (aphids and other small insects) and mating. The name refers to an old superstition that earwigs will crawl into people’s ears and bore into their brain. That’s not true! Rarely will they even pinch you! Earwigs are shy and feed mostly at night. They feed on small insects, organic matter such as bark mulch, and microbes such as fungus. If there is a lack of food or an abundance of earwigs they will attack the young leaves of plants shredding them. They are most plentiful during cool, wet weather and love to hide in mulch, near foundations, or around rock walls. Controls You can control earwigs by providing a habitat they don’t like. Cultivate between plants and remove mulch. To trap earwigs, lay an empty cat food can with some cooking oil in it in the garden under some leaves. The leaves will be attracted to the oil and dive in. Unfortunately they will drown in the proc
