How to stop earwigs in apples?

[Guest]

Morning,

For as long as I have had apple trees I have ended up with earwigs getting into the core. Bramleys seem to be the worst but not an issue if cooked quickly and not stored, oh and obviously cut out the bad bits I haven't gotten to the realms of caterpillars with my salad and maggots with my plums yet

I can't imagine I am the only one who gets this issue. I just wondered what other people do?

Thanks as always

[Nicos]

Never had that problem
Did find this interesting...especially the soy sauce bit!!
How to Keep Earwigs Out of an Apple Tree | Home Guides | SF Gate

[Guest]

Lol, the things we get to use to deal with growing fruit and veg. Ummm beer and soy sauce

[FB.]

I don't get many with earwigs in - but Bramley isn't a variety which I bother much with so maybe it's a Bramley thing due to the 'eye' and core of the fruit being large, open and a nice place for an earwig to hide.

Earwigs like to hide in little holes and crevices so the middle of an apple is just as good as anywhere else (they also like bumblebee boxes - I had some bumblebee boxes once and I opened one to find hundreds of earwigs - more earwigs than I've seen in the whole of the rest of my life!).

Earwigs do good too, by eating some of the insect pests (or their larva). If you start spraying against one thing it knocks the ecosystem out of balance and you'll end up having to spray for ever more things until you're on a full spray routine.
Insecticide residues will put bees at risk too - I've often seen bees visit dying flowers (the time when books say 'spray') and I've posted photos of bees licking up sugary aphid excrement:
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ids_79652.html

[boundtothesoil]

Earwigs do good too, by eating some of the insect pests (or their larva).

I remember seeing a piece of government sponsored research, newly commissioned a few months ago (can't recall link), into ways of attracting and increasing earwig numbers, as a means of natural control of pests in organic orchards. However, personally, I've found significant earwig damage around the stalk area of Bramley's and Ashmead's. Both varieties often have fruits with very short stalks, providing nice little protective niches for earwigs to hide in.

[veggiechicken]

Totally off topic - for which I apologise.

Each time is see this thread I read the title as "How to stop earwigs in nappies" and imagine an earwig wearing a nappy, running down the garden, with someone chasing them................

Just ignore me - I'll go away now.

[Glutton4...]

OK, so why do they congregate in Sycamores?

It's OK, I've moved my washing line to a new location now, but they used to drive me daft. I HAAAAAAATE earwigs!

[yummersetter]

I get earwigs where two apples touch, especially when they've grown with the stem ends touching - that also shelters ladybirds and woodlice. They're all happy to scuttle off when you expose them though, I think of them as wildlife rather than pests.