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Earwigs can be a real nuisance for gardeners when they start infesting trees like the bald cypress. With their creepy pinchers and tendency to munch on leaves and flowers, it’s no wonder we want to get rid of them. But have no fear there are several effective methods you can use to kick earwigs off your bald cypress for good.
Identifying Earwig Damage
Before you can tackle an earwig problem you first need to make sure they are actually the culprits. Check your bald cypress for signs like
- Chewed leaves with ragged edges
- Holes in leaves and flowers
- Presence of earwigs, which are most active at night
Earwigs love to hide during the day, so you may only see evidence of their nighttime feeding sprees. If you spot chewed up foliage and other classic earwig damage, it’s time to take action.
Cultural Controls
Start with some simple cultural controls to make your bald cypress less hospitable to earwigs:
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Remove hiding spots: Earwigs adore dark, moist areas to hunker down in during daylight hours. Eliminate debris like mulch, dead leaves, and wood around the base of your tree so they have fewer places to hide.
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Prune overhanging branches: Trim back any branches from nearby trees/shrubs that touch or hang over your bald cypress. This takes away easy access routes for earwigs to reach the tree.
Natural Remedies
If cultural controls alone don’t solve an earwig infestation, it’s time to get them off your bald cypress for good. Here are some of the top natural remedies:
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Diatomaceous earth: This powdery substance made from fossilized algae shells will shred up earwigs when they crawl through it. Simply sprinkle some food-grade diatomaceous earth around the base of your tree. Reapply after rain or watering.
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Oil traps: Place shallow containers filled with vegetable oil around the trunk. Earwigs are drawn to the oil but then get trapped and drown.
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Neem oil: Mix up this natural pesticide with water and spray on your bald cypress leaves. The oil coats the leaves while the neem’s azadirachtin disrupts earwig growth and reproduction.
Chemical Controls
For severe infestations, you may need to use chemical insecticides. Always follow label directions carefully:
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Pyrethrin insecticides: Derived from chrysanthemums, pyrethrin-based sprays are very effective against earwigs.
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Carbaryl: This common insecticide kills earwigs on contact. Apply as a spray to your bald cypress.
No matter what products you use, be sure to take safety precautions like wearing gloves, long sleeves, and avoiding your eyes and mouth during application. Never apply pesticides right before rain or watering your tree.
Preventing Earwig Returns
Once you evict earwigs from your bald cypress, make sure they don’t return by:
- Regularly inspecting for signs of earwigs
- Keeping debris cleaned up around the tree
- Monitoring nearby plants for earwig activity
- Planting earwig-repelling plants like fennel or calendula nearby
With vigilance and a combination approach, you can keep earwigs off your beloved bald cypress for good. Don’t let those creepy crawlies damage your tree and ruin your garden oasis!
Frequency of Entities:
bald cypress tree: 16
earwigs: 21
infestation: 3
leaves: 3
oil: 3
tree: 4
branches: 2
Preventing an Earwig Infestation
Don’t worry. These menacing-looking insects don’t have a fetish for ears (or wigs), but they will go after garden plants. Here are tips for identifying, preventing, and getting rid of earwigs, also known as “pincher bugs,” in the garden.
Earwigs can be found in almost any growing zone, although they are more likely to inhabit warm, humid climates. You might have trouble spotting one—not only are they quick movers, but they are also nocturnal and tend to hide out during the day when you are tending the garden. They like decaying wood and plant material and dark, damp spaces. Oftentimes, they can be found in basements and woodpiles.
Earwigs are the sole members of the insect order Dermaptera, ancient bugs that began crawling around Earth about 208 million years ago. Today, nearly 2,000 species are scattered everywhere but in Earth’s polar regions. The name “earwig” comes from the Old English ear-wicga, which means “ear wiggler”—so named because the insect was once thought to seek out human ears to reside in. In France, they’re called “ear piercers” (perce-orielles) and in Germany, “ear worms” (Ohrwürmer).
In North America, we’re most familiar with Forficula auricularia, a European species. Earwigs were first reported in the early 1900s and have now spread to most of the United States and parts of Canada.
Earwigs enjoy a lively social scene. They congregate during the day because they tend to find the same hiding places. Their nests can number in the thousands, and they aren’t territorial, so they often live together.
What Do Earwigs Eat?
Pincher bugs are omnivores, meaning that they’ll eat pretty much anything that’s made available to them. In the garden, they primarily feed on dead or decaying plant and animal matter. However, when their population gets out of control, they may turn to feast on living plant matter, especially the seedlings or young foliage of vegetables and flowers. They will also readily prey on aphids, insect eggs, maggots, grubs, and armyworms.
This creates a conundrum for gardeners… Should earwigs be allowed to remain in your garden to eat up aphids and other pests? Or should they be removed before they turn their attention to your plants? Generally, earwigs do not cause enough damage to be worth fighting. However, if you do see large numbers of them around your plants, you can consider taking action.
The pincers at the end of an earwig’s abdomen look rather formidable. They are capable of pinching (and sometimes biting) humans, but the pinch is not particularly powerful. Earwigs usually use their pincers to ward off enemies like toads and birds, or—in some species—to catch prey.
The pincers, called “cerci,” are also important for romance. They are indicators of gender, like tusks on an elephant. A male earwig’s pincers are long and curved, while a female’s are shorter and straighter. Read Next
How to Get Rid of Earwigs
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