Earwigs

[beachbum757]

I have been adding plants and learning all I can about gardening over the years. One of my biggest problems is insect control. The person who used to take care of my lawn used many chemicals even hiring a lawn company to spray weed and feeds. That stopped several years ago. I'm guessing about 5 years.
That is critical here because I live on tidal water and have an abundance of wonderful wildlife.
I also have an abundance of unwanted insects, the worst being an infestation of earwigs. I have tried laying small tubes of plastic pipe around for them to crawl into and then put them into soapy water to kill them but I must hope there is a better way. I have learned the PVC can be harmful to my gardening effort and it only attracted a few bugs anyway.
I really need some suggestions on how to control these pests, mainly in my vegetable garden, I also have a problem with bugs taking over my garden in summer that appear as though they have a shield on their back? They attack my cantaloupe vines as well as my squash plants. I also had severe problems with powdery mildew so I am moving my squash and cucumber vines to the other side of my yard. Any Advice is greatly appreciated

[pernox]

Beachbum;

From my own experience, I would try a "wet cardboard trap." I was having an issue with earwigs running rampant in my yard, and while they weren't harming anything, they sure scared the life out of my young daughter, who refused to walk around barefoot after seeing too many of them. They also invaded the edges of a large plastic pool that we got & filled for her as a birthday gift. As one would imagine, this was quite the fun-killer.

As it happens, we left a few sections of the cardboard box that this large pool came in laying out on the lawn, out of general traffic. Being both out of sight and out of mind, these cardboard sections made it a couple weeks (and at least one rain shower) before I remembered their presence and removed them. When I did so, they were FULL of earwigs. Threw them straight in the fire-pit where they cooked up well that night. =)

Long story short, I would try setting out some cardboard, letting it get rained on (or wetting it with a hose - earwigs love moisture) and then burning/bagging it after a couple days. I think you'll find that the earwig population decreases significantly after a few rounds of this, and it happens to be completely pesticide-free. =)

No experience with this personally, but a Google search turns up the suggestion of baiting with bran or oatmeal, and perforating the cardboard so that the little vermin can get in there easier.

Hope this helps!

[beachbum757]

That's quite a good idea! I will surely try that!
I have a burn pit a burn barrel and plenty of cardboard.
I'll even lay the cardboard over weeds when possible, maybe they will die accomplishing 2 goals.

[doccat5]

Great idea on the earwigs.

For squash beetles which spread powdery mildew and also get your melons and cukes. You can try using floating row cover over the young plants, to keep off the beetles. You can also interplant with radishes which act as a "trap crop" for beetles. Just pull the damaged radishes and discard. You might also want to consider adding marigolds to the area, you want the old fashioned "smelly" kind and nasturtiums, both have repellent qualities. And the nasturtiums are yummy to eat as well.

doccat5

[TheLorax]

Excellent idea to help control earwigs.