For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
earwigs, ewww... here's how to get rid of them
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Of all the garden pests you're likely to encounter outside, the one that probably elicits the most disgusted reactions is the one that's the least harmful to humans, even though it looks like it'll tunnel into your brain. You know what I'm talking about: earwigs. Small but mighty-looking, earwigs have a pair of formidable pincers at the end of their abdomens that look like they can do some damage. And they can—to other pests like aphids and scale insects. To humans, earwigs don't do a whole lot besides hide in our garbage and under compost piles, wood piles, and leaf mulch. They're nocturnal pests, coming out only at night to hunt and feed on decaying matter. The problem is when they run out of things to eat in your garden, and they start turning to your vegetable beds. It's not uncommon to wake up to plants full of holes in summer if you have an infestation of earwigs! And while a few earwigs here and there aren't likely to cause too much damage, an overgrown population can decimate entire seedlings or just make your food a lot less appealing. If you're battling earwigs this season, don't reach for the chemical sprays just yet. There are several very effective and very easy ways to get rid of them (and even keep them from coming back). ​I share 9 tried-and-tested tips to control earwigs in the garden, based on my own experiences.​ Plus, I go over that whole myth of earwigs crawling into your ears at night to lay eggs in your brain. 😳 P.S. Are your plants full of holes from earwig damage? Here's how to get rid of earwigs quickly (and keep them from coming back)​ P.P.S. Earwigs and other pests appear on different crops under different conditions from year to year, but do you have a reliable way to track it all? With my Ultimate Garden Diary, you can record what they are, where they appeared, and how you managed them. Best of all, you can track all this year after year without needing refill pages! The Ultimate Garden Diary is a printable garden journal, logbook, and recordkeeper that works for all kinds of gardens (from edible to ornamental). Just mix and match the pages you need! |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."