How to identify good earwigs from bad earwigs.
They are all the same so to speak. They are opportunistic eaters. They live on dead decaying matter, eat aphids and other small prey and love young growth of certain plants, like Marigolds. This is shown in the picture with all the cans full of earwigs and decimated marigold plants. The shallow cans were placed next to plants that the earwigs thought were the most tasty.Simple home remedies can be used to lower the earwigs population. There are quite a few methods you can use depending on your preference and patience. I prefer a little beer in a small cat food can but there other preparations you can put in the cans. Since they prowl at night, they hide during the day. Place burlap bags, boards, newspapers or other materials on the ground, then daily collect individuals that congregate under the cover and discard.
Predatory insects help control the earwigs. Believe it or not, there are other insects and animals that prey on the earwigs. Since the earwigs are nocturnal, hungry birds have to hunt them out in their hiding places during the day. Evening birds and amphibians will be able to find them out and about in the duff on their favorite plants. Knowing the life cycle will help you manage earwigs!
