Help with earwigs

[vixylix]

Last night I went out in the dark to pick some strawberreis for after our tea (arent the nights getting shorter!) - unfortunately they were CRAWLING (and I mean loads) with earwigs. What can I do to get rid of them? They're unfortunately far more creepy to remove by hand than caterpillars and far harder to squish whilst on plant.

We keep getting them in the house, and I think they're probably all over all my plants on an evening (I couldnt face checking last night!!)

I use raised beds (which are still rather full), pots and a hanging basket (for the strawberries) so no real room to dig in traps, and I dont have time on a morning to be dealing with newspaper traps.

Are there any organic ways to get rid? Something I can spray on my plants that wont harm the veggies?

Thanks

[Nicos]

eeek- they are the one thing I can't stand.
Goes back to my childhood and caravanning holidays- they always seemed to appear from a vent in the floor, right next to my bottom bunkbed!

Have a look at this...

How to Get Rid of Earwigs | Planet Natural

How to Control Earwigs

actually, there are a few organic links you could look up.
Interesting.

Fortunately we don't seem to get them since I stopped growing dalias !

[vixylix]

They dont really bother me usually, but the sheer quantity last night was quite gruesome!

What are peoples thoughts on Diatomaceous Earth?

[Guest]

Nicos didn't put my fav. solution in. I still haven't tried it yet as this year I have lots and lots of beasties. Oil and soy sauce traps

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...les_83663.html

[noviceveggrower]

My sister gets me stuff from a company called Green gardener. They do stuff to control various bugs that wont harm the environment or are a natural control.
My mom usually gets a flower pot full of straw or hay and puts it upside down on a short bamboo cane by her plants. The earwigs always seem to end up in there during the night and she just puts all the straw in a bag and bins it or burns it. Then just refills the flower pot up for another night.

[WendyC]

No help to you, but I have started harvesting my sweetcorn and noted the complete absence of them this year.

[vixylix]

Lucky you Wendy! I've had one hiding between the cob and the stalk every time!!

I tried olive oil traps - may try putting a bit of soy sauce in and seeing what happens. So four I've caught 4 flies and a spider - so not a massive success!

[PyreneesPlot]

Are they doing any serious damage because that do eat smaller nuissance pests as well as munching on petals and leaves. I've heared good things about the flowerpot approach, too.
As for DE, I did use it in the battle against flea beetles but as the impact wasn't great and it destroys all soft bodied buglife I stopped.

[vixylix]

Are they doing any serious damage because that do eat smaller nuissance pests as well as munching on petals and leaves. I've heared good things about the flowerpot approach, too.
As for DE, I did use it in the battle against flea beetles but as the impact wasn't great and it destroys all soft bodied buglife I stopped.

They werent at first, but have totally decimated my strawberries and the leaves on pretty much everything. The only thing they havent touched so far (touch wood!) are my tomatoes - but now they've started getting in the house they're getting a bit out of control!

I also think they've eaten my beetroot and carrot seedlings as they have all disappeared!

[skeggijon]

The silks have disappeared on some of my sweetcorn and I'm putting that down to earwigs.

[Glutton4...]

We used to be inundated with earwigs, and they make me shudder!

My washingline used to be suspended from the large Sycamore in the back garden, and the ruddy things would congregate in large numbers, inside my laundry. Then I'd unwittingly transfer them to the house.

Not much help to you, I know. Sorry!