Expert: Walter Hintz - 6/18/2007

Question
Tonight, I found hundreds to thousands of earwigs underneath the leaves of my vegetables in my garden. They practically shred the leaves of my cabbages, broccoli, everything! They seem to be dwelling just below the surface of the dirt. How do I get rid of these things without doing damage to my plants as well?

Answer
Hi Angela
Earwigs are common in gardens.  There are a number of things you can do.  First of all do not use any toxins on the plants. You can spray the leaves underneath with soapy water.  Make sure there is no mulch under the plants where they hide during the day.  They are night feeders. Traps are often used.  Place some wet rolled up newspaper near the plants. In the morning you will find them there and you can get rid of them.  Once the population is thinned the damage to the vegetables should be less.  IT is not wise to try to eliminate all of them.  They are predators on other garden pests like slugs.
I have never tried traps but I have been told that they work.