Become a better gardener! Discover our new Almanac Garden Planner features for 2024. It’s easy, fun, and free to try! Subhead
Earwigs can be a nuisance in gardens, especially when they start munching on ornamental grasses like basket grass. While a small number of earwigs can help eliminate other pests, an infestation can quickly damage plants. Here’s how to get rid of earwigs on basket grass and keep them away.
What are Earwigs?
Earwigs are small, brown insects with signature pincers on their abdomen. They are mostly active at night and hide in damp, dark places during the day. Earwigs are omnivores and will feed on decaying organic matter as well as living plants. They particularly enjoy young foliage and flowers.
Female earwigs lay eggs in underground burrows in the fall. The eggs hatch in spring, allowing earwig populations to multiply quickly.
Why Earwigs are Attracted to Basket Grass
Basket grasses like maiden grass, Chinese silver grass, and Japanese forest grass have wide, gracefully arching leaves that provide excellent hiding spots for earwigs. The base of ornamental grasses also offers protection, moisture, and decaying matter that earwigs love
In addition, the tender new growth on grasses is a tasty meal for earwigs. As populations increase, they may devour significant portions of leaves, leaving unsightly damage.
Signs of Earwig Damage on Basket Grasses
Look for jagged holes in leaves, especially towards the tips and edges. You may also see black earwig droppings around damaged areas. Plants can appear ragged overnight as earwigs chew their way through leaves.
In extreme cases, earwigs may eat entire new shoots, preventing the plant from growing. Check the base of plants and under pots for earwigs hiding during the day.
How to Get Rid of Earwigs on Ornamental Grasses
Here are some effective, organic methods to eliminate earwigs on basket grass plants:
-
Remove debris: Clean up any piles of leaves, mulch, or wood near plants. This eliminates earwig hiding spots.
-
Modify watering: Water plants in the morning rather than evening so soil is dry at night. Earwigs love moisture.
-
Use traps: Place rolled up cardboard or bamboo sticks near plants. Earwigs will gather inside during day. Remove and drown trapped bugs in soapy water.
-
Apply diatomaceous earth: Sprinkle this natural abrasive around plants to irritate and dehydrate earwigs. Reapply after rain.
-
Spray neem oil: Neem oil disrupts the earwig life cycle and acts as a repellent. Spray plants thoroughly including undersides of leaves.
-
Attract natural predators: Birds, frogs, and beneficial insects help control earwig populations. Provide habitat to encourage them.
-
Hand pick: Go out at night with a flashlight and pick earwigs off plants by hand. Drop them into soapy water to kill.
Prevent Earwigs from Returning
To prevent future earwig infestations on basket grass:
-
Eliminate excess moisture by fixing leaks and overhanging vegetation.
-
Space plants adequately and prune to increase air circulation and light penetration.
-
Apply a 2-3 inch protective band of diatomaceous earth, sand, or ash around plants.
-
Introduce plants like lavender, sage, and chrysanthemums which repel earwigs.
-
Rotate traps early in the season to catch overwintering earwigs.
With diligence and persistence, you can safely evict earwigs from your ornamental grasses. Implement preventative measures so you can enjoy your lush, beautiful basket grasses all season long without damage.
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 Identify Earwigs
- Earwigs get to be about 3/4-inch long. They’re reddish-brown insects with appendages on their tail-ends that look like forceps. Few other insects have a set of scary-looking pincers like the earwig has. This is why some folks call them “pincher bugs” or “pinching bugs.” Attached at the insect’s abdomen, these appendages are called cerci.
- Earwigs run very quickly and can also fly, though they rarely do so. They actually have two sets of wings, and their pincers aid in unfolding the wings.
- What do earwigs eat? Nocturnal by nature, an earwig’s main meal is decaying plant material and wood, but it will attack living plants, including vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamentals, if given the opportunity. Earwigs are especially fond of flowers, lettuce and other tender greens, celery, and fruits.
- Female earwigs lay 40 to 50 shiny eggs in underground tunnels. Oddly enough, the eggs are diligently cared for and protected from predators by the mothers. They hatch in about a week, making it very difficult to control earwig populations before they hatch.
- Nymphs simply appear to be miniature versions of adult earwigs. They shed several skins, and ten weeks later, they reach adulthood.
- Earwigs often hide underneath pots during the day and then eat the flowers in the pots at night.
How to Get Rid of Earwigs
FAQ
How to remove earwigs from plants?
Why are there earwigs in my potted plants?
Why does my lawn have so many earwigs?
What do earwigs hate the most?
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 get earwigs to eat?
Place damp, rolled-up newspapers or small cardboard boxes (such as a cereal box) in the garden area in the evening. Earwigs feed at night and look for a damp, sheltered spot to spend the day. You can pick up quite a few in the newspaper the next morning.
What can I do with my earwigs?
You can then move the earwigs to a woodland nearby, or dispose of them as you see fit. Jen McDonald is a garden expert and co-founder of Garden Girls, LLC, based in Houston, TX. With 14 raised garden beds and 400 square feet of garden space, Jen grows cut flowers to peanuts, amaranth to okra, and everything in between.
How to control earwigs organically?
Another method to control earwigs organically is to attract birds. Birds that may eat earwigs include bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, wrens, and others. Therefore, try to attract birds to your vegetable garden. 10. Newspaper Trap This method is a good use of old newspapers, as they make a very nice shelter for earwigs when damp.