How can I get rid of earwigs?
Lesley Pennington, by email
APIPPA SAYS Earwigs are omnivores, so eat both plant matter (mainly when decaying) and small invertebrates. They mostly do little significant damage, unless you grow certain plants that they particularly love to eat – especially dahlias and clematis. Unfortunately they can leave these plants, their foliage or flowers in tatters.
Still, in most cases earwigs are best left alone, as they play a useful role in the garden food web – and indeed can be beneficial as they are significant predators of aphids on fruit trees and some shrubs. Earwigs are also quite unusual insects, as they stay with their eggs until they have hatched and then protect their young against predators. Does that make them a bit more appealing?
If you do want to reduce their numbers, try collecting them up at dusk or later, as they do most of their feeding at night. If you really want to use a pesticide, then consider one of the products with shorter persistence, such as those based on fatty acids.