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earwigs?
Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:57 pm
by arawhcuk
sometimes I'm getting them hiding in my lettuce and broccoli heads. they aren't really harmful I know, but I'd rather not accidentally get one on my plate, plus they eat everything. so how can I get rid of them? I know the cans of oil and rolled up newspapers. They seem to be in the same spot every year, crawling over whatever I try to grow there. should I look for a nest?
Oh, and speaking of bugs. can you soak broccoli underwater for a little while to get rid of all the bugs? or does that wash away vitamins?
Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:13 pm
by femlow
You can also use corrugated cardboard, bamboo tubes, and hoses. Just stick them out at dusk at the base of your plants and clean them out in the morning. Just keep it up until you arent catching them anymore.
Also, if you use mulch or anything like that around the base of your plants you might want to consider getting rid of it. It will make weed control and the like harder, so you have to make the choice, but I prefer pulling weeds to eating earwigs, and earwigs love low groundcover that keeps things moist and dark for them.
Submerging veggies can help get rid of some pests, but its always possible, especially for plants like broccoli, for some bugs to hold on (and some seem to be able to hold their breath for a very long time)... However just putting them under water will not reduce their nutritional value (the same cannot be said for boiling and steaming though). Even if you leave them submerged over night, it shouldnt have a huge effect, other than that nutrients start to degrade as soon as plants are picked, ragardless of water submersion, but I'm sure whatever is lost can be made up for with any critters left hanging on...
fem
Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:20 pm
by decam0
I remember my mother putting vegetables in salty water to get the bugs out.
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 3:00 pm
by jstr12
That should work, and maybe you could put some spices in the water. The bugs wouldn't like that!
jstr
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:27 am
by uggabugga
earwigs will definitely eat on your plants - they always seem to go for the tender new growth, which means that even tho they don't eat that much they can do a lot of damage. they've really done a lot of damage to my younger sunflowers and dahlias, but aren't that much of a problem on veggies in my experience.
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 2:57 pm
by Newt
Here's some interesting earwig info.
https://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74102.html
Newt