Citrus Growers Forum

dauben · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 12:11 pm

I have 5 acres infested with earwigs and other bugs. The earwigs in particulary are like locusts and are destroying new growth on non-citrus trees. Does anyone know of an inexpensive product that will kill bugs over a large area? I don't care if it's a natural pesticide or not as long as it works. I have the option of using it outside of the areas that the kids play in.

Phillip

JoeReal · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 1:42 pm

Earwigs are natural predators of wooly aphids on apples and other crops. If you found them to be eating the young shoots, it is because they lack source of moisture.

You can designate an area for your kids, spray it with the Home Defense from Home Depot, a one gallon ready to spray is about $5 and should last for 2 weeks. First spray the designate area thoroughly, then for maintenance, spray on the perimeter only. Make a 1 foot wide perimeter and spray that every week.

dauben · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 5:19 pm

JoeReal wrote:

Earwigs are natural predators of wooly aphids on apples and other crops. If you found them to be eating the young shoots, it is because they lack source of moisture.

It probably also explains why the house is becoming infested. We've got them on walls, carpet, and even found one in the toilet this morning.
I'm trying a pyrethrin based spray around the house as a first step and now need to go after those little monsters.

JoeReal wrote:

You can designate an area for your kids, spray it with the Home Defense from Home Depot, a one gallon ready to spray is about $5 and should last for 2 weeks. First spray the designate area thoroughly, then for maintenance, spray on the perimeter only. Make a 1 foot wide perimeter and spray that every week.

I'll look into home defense. I also want to try some AZ41, but they're eating the leaves on the peach tree faster than I can get out there and spray them.

Thanks Joe.

Phillip

Laaz · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 5:23 pm

Bug bombs work well on them. If you have a crawl space under the house, throw a couple on each end...

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dauben · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 5:42 pm

Laaz wrote:

Bug bombs work well on them. If you have a crawl space under the house, throw a couple on each end...

I might try that, but I'd also like to reduce the population outside. If I turn over any given log, I'm guaranteed to find 1000's earwigs.

Phillip

JoeReal · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 7:20 pm

Earwigs are nocturnal critters. That is why I'm not recommending AZ41 on these critters because AZ41 has kill on contact pesticidal property.

You can lay out sphagnum moss or "sticky" carpet inverted over, and then each morning, grab the carpet mat or shagnum moss and beat it over your fishpond, or over a kiddie pool. It will be full of earwigs, and the fish will be having a feast, or in case of kiddie pool, you'll teach earwigs swimming lessons just like what Patty's doing.

As daylight approaches, the earwigs will hunker down under the carpet mat or sphagnum moss laid outside. If the carpet mat is the one that has hairy textiles that grabs, then picking it up will get most earwigs.

Millet · Posted: Mon 20 Apr, 2009 7:36 pm

I have used an adaptation to what Joe wries above. For small quantities of earwigs in the greenhouse, I crumble up pices of paper and lay them in several places on the ground near my plants. As the sun begin to rise, the earwigs hide in the paper. Pick it up and toss it in a bucket of water. There is always some earwigs hiding in the paper. However, I don't have much of an earwig problem. - Millet (1,370-)