While allowing the chooks to scratch through last seasons crops and mulch works at reducing numbers of these creatures I can't always time that right. My friends the lizards eat these nasties too and sometimes the chooks eat my little lizard friends
so I find other ways to deal with them!You can trap them in old tuna tins filled with cooking oil and water but these need to be emptied regularly or they start to stink! I've also accidentally caught lizards in these pots too.
My favourite way is to get some old hose pipe and cut it into 30cm lengths. For some reason the weepy hose made from recycled car tyres seems to work the best. I have plenty of this as I've replaced all mine and refuse to use them anymore because they go brittle after about a year and split easily. They also leach chemicals so are not recommended for use in vegetable gardens!
I place these lengths of hose around the garden partially hidden in the mulch. Each morning I go out with a bucket and shake the hose pipes into it
...out roll the earwigs into the bucket.
Then it's down to the chookies for their morning treat!They love 'em.
I should stress that these are European Earwigs not Native Australian ones...these native ones are mainly predators (some of the Codling Moth larvae) so that makes those ones my friends!
Catching the European Earwigs while they are alive means that I can remove any of the Native 'Good Guys' (they are easily identified) so the chooks don't eat my friends!
I apologise on behalf of my fellow countrymen for delivering such a pest onto your lovely antipodean shores. Only fair, seeing as how we have to put up with that horrible Fosters beer!! Horrible, creepy little creatures those earwigs. ugh!
ReplyDeleteHa Matron
ReplyDeleteWe had to do something with that horrible beer! :)
Yes our native earwigs are so much better behaved. lol
How about stuffing a little flower pot with straw and sticking it on top of a cane (having put the cane in the soil of course where you have the earwigs.
ReplyDeleteThey climb up inside overnight and you can shake them out either every day or couple of days.
Oh Scarecrow I am so glad someone else has lizard friends. My garden is full of them and don't they do a GREAT job at pest control.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great idea too Lottie! Thanks for adding it! :)
ReplyDeleteHi my happy subtropical friend (lol)
Yes I love all our lizards and I hope we don't get one of those slithery snakes like your poor Max found!
Hope he (Max the cat) is up and running around soon!
Hi Scarecrow! YOur garden is looking wonderful this spring - you are an inspiration for dry climate growing.
ReplyDeletere the earwigs - I use the jar with oil and water, and you know what? I use GLASS jars, and only empty them once a ear, because i LOVE seeing all the dead earwigs in there. They do so much damage in my glass house. This is the only excuse I have for my disgusting bloodthirstyness!
happy gardening
tdh
Argh! Duck Herder
ReplyDeleteApparently they take ages to drown too!
I used the tins until one of the cats decided to 'borrow' them and fill them in with dirt when he'd finished!
Hi Scarecrow, I dont have those pipes but perhaps i will try the cans/glass jars with oil...didnt know earwigs love the oi..cool.. Hope doggy wont lap it up haha...yeah the earwigs are problems in my new garden. btw how do you differentiate the european ones and native ones?
ReplyDeleteHi SM
ReplyDeleteThese two links may help a bit but they seem to be quite different in colour
European Earwig - baddie
Native Earwig
I also think the ones you will mainly catch will be European as the native ones don't seem to eat new seedlings!
It isn't that they like the oil but that they are attracted to the tins (some folks add a bit of soy sauce to lure them). The oil on top of the water is what kills them or makes it harder for them to get out.
Linseed oil also attracts them but that's a bit expensive to buy.
The oil won't hurt your little doggy...just earwigs. Watch you don't catch any little lizards in the oil tins though, they don't like the oil.
Hi Scarecrow, I used a shallow container with some oil and water and placed it near my eggplant(which was eaten) and overnight it drowned two earwigs! Wow! I even find them in my kitchen and in my son's sock out on the laundry line...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the helpful advice and links! :)
So far I havent seen lizards in my backyard...hehe..I am scared if i see one...:P
Hi SM
ReplyDeleteWell done on your first 'catch' of earwigs, keep the trap set, there could be more. They aren't nice to have inside...
Make friends with the lizards, they do a lot of good work around the garden! ;)