How to Get Rid of Earwigs on Balsam Plants

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Earwigs, also known as pincher bugs, are scary looking. Their scaly bodies and large pincer claws on their rears look menacing. Earwigs like to hide in dark, damp spaces which, in a vegetable garden, usually means the crevices of our cabbages, artichokes, lettuces, and the list could go on and on. I remember the first time we harvested a napa cabbage I was holding it in my bare hands and all of a sudden earwigs started dropping out as I walked towards the house. I shrieked and dropped the cabbage, which led a mass exodus all over our cement. It looked like something out of a horror movie and to this day I’m a little weary of newly harvested cabbage.

Regardless, in many cases earwigs are simply a nuisance and the food they inhabit is completely edible. In fact, with our napa cabbages they usually damage the outside leaves and the insides remain untouched. Either way, use caution when you bring produce inside and start processing your homegrown food. Tip: sometimes Sam and I tear off the outer leaves outside over our cement, so when the earwigs drop out we can just stomp on them and squish! Sorry, I know it sounds gross.

First, I always like to identify the pest I am dealing with before determining the best course of action. See below for a picture of earwig damage on my mature potatoes. You’ll notice the damage is more of a nuisance in this case rather than devastating. If you suspect earwigs, but haven’t seen them, try looking down in the crevices of the plant (like my artichoke picture above). If that doesn’t work, try a nocturnal investigative expedition. Sound funky? Bascially, earwigs are nocturnal, so you might have a better chance at seeing them chomping on your plants at night. Read on for different methods to control earwigs in your garden…

Earwigs can be a real nuisance in the garden, chewing holes in leaves, flowers, and veggies. With their creepy pincers, these nocturnal insects look intimidating, but they rarely bite or sting humans. While not usually a major threat, earwigs can damage ornamental and edible plants when their population gets out of control. Balsam plants, with their dense foliage and moisture-loving nature, are especially prone to earwig infestations. If you’ve noticed ragged holes, wilting leaves, and earwigs hiding in your balsam plants, it’s time to take action. In this article, we’ll explore various methods for getting rid of earwigs on balsam plants, from cultural practices to chemical controls.

What Are Earwigs?

Earwigs are oval-shaped, flattened insects around 1⁄2 inch long They have slender bodies, long antennae, and a pair of forcep-like cerci protruding from their abdomens While the cerci may look scary, they are not strong enough to break human skin. There are over 200 earwig species, but the European earwig is the most common garden pest. They are nocturnal creatures that hide in dark, damp places during the day. At night, they emerge to feed on plant matter and small insects. Earwigs breed rapidly, producing up to 60 eggs per female in one season. Their populations can explode quickly, especially in consistently moist environments.

How Do Earwigs Damage Balsam Plants?

Earwigs use their chewing mouthparts to feed on tender plant tissues, creating ragged holes in leaves, petals, and other parts. Wilting, yellowing, distorted growth, and dieback can occur from earwig feeding. They target the soft foliage and flowers of balsam plants, marring their ornamental beauty. Earwigs are especially problematic for young seedlings and transplants, sometimes devouring them entirely. Their excrement on leaves and blooms is also unsightly. While a few earwigs aren’t a huge concern, major infestations can seriously impact plant health.

Preventing Earwigs on Balsam Plants

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to earwigs. Here are some tips to make your garden less inviting to these pests:

Remove debris like mulch, dead leaves, boards, and stones near plants. Eliminate earwig hiding spots.
Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings, Earwigs prefer damp conditions
Clean up dense vegetation and prune back overgrown balsam plants. Improve air circulation.
Use raised beds, containers, or pot feet to minimize contact between pots and soil. Limit moisture access.
Intercrop with plants like onions, garlic, and chives. Their strong scents repel earwigs.
Attract predatory insects like birds, beetles, and parasitic wasps to feed on earwigs.

Cutting off their access to food, water, and shelter goes a long way in preventing earwig infestations. But if they’ve already invaded your balsam plants, control measures are needed.

Physical and Mechanical Earwig Controls

When dealing with a minor earwig problem, low-impact physical and mechanical methods may be effective:

Handpick earwigs from plants and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Do this at night when they are active.
Use a strong spray of water to knock earwigs off plants into containers below. The force dislodges them.
Lay damp newspapers or upturned flower pots near plants at night. Earwigs will gather under these traps, allowing you to dispose of them in the morning.
Apply sticky barriers like petroleum jelly or tack traps around plant stems. This hinders earwigs from climbing up onto foliage.
Till the soil frequently to disrupt earwig eggs and expose them to predators. This practice helps manage their populations.

For heavy infestations, more aggressive measures are needed. Both chemical and organic options can tackle serious earwig problems.

Chemical Methods to Control Earwigs

Insecticide sprays and baits containing chemicals like bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, carbaryl, and fipronil are effective at killing earwigs. However, these come with environmental and health risks with improper use. Carefully read all label directions and apply selectively only to affected plants. Some tips:

Spinosad is a natural bacterium that provides safe but effective chemical control of earwigs. Products containing spinosad can be used around children and pets.
Insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils smother and kill earwigs on contact while safely breaking down after use. Direct sprays onto pests.
Apply chemical treatments at night when earwigs are active but pollinators are not. This minimizes risks to beneficial insects.

Only use chemical methods as a last resort when all other options have failed. Always exercise caution with any insecticides.

Organic Approaches to Eliminating Earwigs

For an eco-friendly way to banish earwigs, turn to these organic remedies:

Diatomaceous earth (DE) applied on and around plants cuts up the waxy coating on earwigs, causing dehydration and death. DE is non-toxic but wear a mask when using.
Sprays made from neem oil deter earwigs and disrupt their hormonal balance to reduce feeding and reproduction. Neem oil is fast-acting and safe for most plants.
Garlic and hot pepper repellent sprays can be made at home using chopped garlic, peppers, and water. These irritate earwigs upon contact. Reapply after rain.
Beneficial nematodes seek out and infect earwig larvae in the soil, providing biological control without chemicals. Apply nematodes per package instructions.
Encourage predators like birds, spiders, beetles, and centipedes by providing suitable food sources and habitat for them in your garden landscape.

Organic methods take some time and perseverance but avoid the risks of chemical insecticides. Use a combination of two or more treatments for the best control.

With their menacing pincers and creepy appearance, earwigs can be alarming garden pests. But a variety of effective, eco-friendly methods exist for protecting your prized balsam plants from damage. Start by making your landscape less inviting to earwigs through good cultural practices. Remove debris, allow soil to dry between waterings, and prune back overgrown foliage. Traps, barriers, tillage, and handpicking can help manage light infestations. For more serious earwig problems, turn to organic solutions like diatomaceous earth, neem oil, nematodes, and garlic/pepper repellents. With diligence and an integrated pest management plan, you can get rid of earwigs and enjoy thriving, beautiful balsam plants.

how to get rid of earwigs on balsam plant

Manual Removal -this worked for us!

Earwigs are generally nocturnal. This is why you don’t really see them during the day, as they hide in those dark spaces of your plants. Since they typically feed on your garden at night, the best way to spot them is to take a flashlight and go out once it is dark. You’ll probably see earwigs feasting. I distinctly remember, back when our garden first started, earwigs were demolishing all my new seedlings. For an entire week, Sam and I went out at night with thick garden gloves and a flashlight and manually squished earwigs. We would find a hundred a night feasting on the leaves of our plants. I’m not kidding. With this very aggressive (and gross) method, we beat the earwigs!!! PS: you could drop them into a bucket of soapy water if the thought of squishing them is too much. While earwigs will always be in the garden, their population should be small enough that their damage would not take out entire plants.

Besides the manual squishing method outlined above, I decided to try some of the most popular earwig traps recommended online. See the results below.

At dusk time, take a dish (a little deeper is better so they can’t crawl out), fill it with a thin layer of one of these two mixtures:

Half Olive Oil & Half Soy Sauce

Half Olive Oil, Half Water, and 1 tsp Molasses

Bury it so the lip/edge is even with the soil level. Let the earwigs fall in as they feast at night! I didn’t notice a significant difference in the attraction abilities of either because both traps caught earwigs. The idea is that earwigs will be attracted to the smell, fall in, and then can’t escape because of the oil.

Cons: I did notice some little ants in these traps (see photos), so if you already have an abundant ant problem, you might want to skip this trap in fear that it would attract more ants to your garden. Also, if you have children or pets, you will want to keep them away from drinking the traps.

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Earwigs love to lounge in dark, cool places. This is why they will usually be under pots when you move them, in crevices, etc. So, this kind of trap aims to mimic a cool, dark crevice. Take newspaper (or cardboard), roll it into a tube, and secure with tape. If you are using newspaper, make it a skinny tube. If you are using cardboard, roll it according to the photo below. Moisten the inside by running some water down it or misting the inside with a spray bottle. NOTE: newspaper gets damp very quickly so be really conservative with the amount of water. I used an old newsletter we had received in the mail which was a little thicker than newspaper.

Place these rolls on the ground around the base of your plants. I put mine right next to the bases of my artichokes. Make sure to place the rolls at dusk and then check in the morning.

In the morning, carefully collect the rolls (being careful not to tilt them!) and dump them into a bucket with water. I caught an earwig in each roll.

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This earwig trap is both adorable and effective. I did find that it took a few days to find earwigs in the trap, so I recommend this method for a more long-term, low-maintenance solution to your earwigs.

The idea: a terra cotta pot stuffed with newspaper mimics a flower’s petal crevices where earwigs typically like to hide.

You can use terra cotta pots of different sizes, but I find that a 3.5″-4″ pot isn’t too heavy to be supported by a branch, yet is large enough to create a good trap for earwigs. Simply take some newspaper and stuff it into the terra cotta pot. This mimics the dark folds and crevices that earwigs like to hide in during the daytime.

Take a thick branch and drive it into the soil where you would like the trap. Ideally, you want the terra cotta pot to sit at the same level as the flowers/blooms because thats where the earwigs usually find shelter. Place the terra cotta pot, upside down, on the thick branch.

To ensure the pot doesn’t fall down the stick, make sure the width of your branch is larger than the drainage hole of the pot, or that the branch has a knob that the pot can get stuck on.

Wait a few days and then check the trap during the day (as this is when earwigs are hiding in shelter). Since these traps look very cute in a cottage garden, you can leave them in long-term and periodically check for earwigs.

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Remember, all of these methods are considered conservative approaches to dealing with pests. I like to exhaust my options or let beneficial bugs take care of the problem before moving to more aggressive methods. As our garden ages, I am seeing more and more benefits of letting things balance out. I know it can be tough, but the more I create this ecosystem and watch/observe, the more I see things working out on their own. Once again, gardening is teaching me patience.

How to Get Rid of Earwigs

FAQ

What is the best earwig killer for plants?

In dry weather, pull back any mulch around plants plagued by earwigs and sprinkle diatomaceous earth around them. This finely powdered dust scratches their soft body parts and kills earwigs by dehydration.

How to get rid of earwigs in flower pots?

Soy sauce traps are an effective, chemical-free way to eliminate earwigs. Combine vegetable oil and soy sauce in a small plastic container with a lid. Poke holes in the lid so the earwigs can crawl into the container. Then bury the trap at ground level near the area where earwigs are causing problems.

What can I plant to keep earwigs away?

Everyone likes their plants but overwatering them could create a haven for earwigs. If you notice earwigs in your yard or garden, consider planting deterrent herbs around your home area. Mint, basil, lemon and thyme repel earwigs and other insects from coming near the foundation and doorways.

How do I get rid of earwigs in my garden?

Oil pit traps are a great remedy for earwigs. Combine equal parts soy sauce and olive or vegetable oil, put it in a small plastic container, and secure the lid. Punch holes in the top of the container, near the lid. Make the holes large enough for the earwigs to get in. Bury the container in the soil just up to the holes.

How do you catch earwigs in a garden?

Adults overwinter under garden debris, stones, and boards as well as in soil. To trap earwigs, you can fill cat food cans (or other similar cans) with ¼ inch of oil (preferably fish oil) and sink them into the ground near plants.

Does vinegar kill earwigs?

Mixed with water and sprayed around the garden and house, vinegar is a good deterrent for the critters. Combined with a little liquid soap, vinegar will kill earwigs almost immediately when sprayed directly on them. However, use it with a light hand, as vinegar will likely burn or kill the plants if the solution is too strong. 5. Vacuuming

How do you get rid of earwigs in gutters?

Clean out gutters, especially if they’re full of dead leaves. Once you’ve earwig-proofed the area as much as possible, you can use common household materials to make your plants less appetizing. Mix a solution of water and a few drops of gentle dish soap, put it in a spray bottle, and spray the leaves of your plants.

What Are Earwigs?

How Do Earwigs Damage Balsam Plants?

Preventing Earwigs on Balsam Plants

Physical and Mechanical Earwig Controls

Chemical Methods to Control Earwigs

Organic Approaches to Eliminating Earwigs

Manual Removal -this worked for us!

How to Get Rid of Earwigs

FAQ