Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Thanks,
Bill

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 09:34:27 -0700, "Bill Litchfield"
wrote:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??


I like floating row cover a whole lot. Solves an awful lot
of insect problems.

I think diatomaceous earth dusted on the plants would kill
any earwigs that you might have trapped UNDER the floating
row cover.

Pat

In our last fun filled episode, Thu, 26 Jun 2003 09:34:27 -0700,
"Bill Litchfield" proclaimed:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/FS01/FS0141.doc.

This has good, balanced information about earwigs. I especially
like that they suggest you get out of your bed and go out into
the garden at night and make sure that the earwigs are the
problem.

They don't, however, suggest a clothing optional midnight romp
through the garden, although I do.

Pam, do watch out for cold doggie noses going where cold doggie
noses ought not to go.



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

In our last fun filled episode, Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:36:51 -0400,
Pat Meadows proclaimed:

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 09:34:27 -0700, "Bill Litchfield"
wrote:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??


I like floating row cover a whole lot. Solves an awful lot
of insect problems.

But..but..but...how does a floating row cover stop an insect
that creeps out from under mulch, boards, and garden debris?


Pam, and what about the hostile sub-terrestrials?




---
"Oh no, not again."
- A bowl of petunias on its way to certain death

Now that's a rock album name if I ever heard one...

M. Reed

" http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/FS01/FS0141.doc.

This has good, balanced information about earwigs. I especially
like that they suggest you get out of your bed and go out into
the garden at night and make sure that the earwigs are the
problem.

They don't, however, suggest a clothing optional midnight romp
through the garden, although I do.

Pam, do watch out for cold doggie noses going where cold doggie
noses ought not to go.



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

heh heh heh, girl your nuts;} I liked your link on spit thrip damage,
it cleared up a question I had about, my possum eared habaneros. thanks Len

Bill Litchfield said:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Go out at night and hit the feeding with a spray of insecticidal soap. Rinse the
soap off the plants in the morning.

Spray earwig refuges (cracks and joints in wood are prime areas) with soap
spray during the day.

Set out earwig traps (yogurt tubs with a dash of soy sauce covered with a
layer of vegetable oil for a killing trap; bits of 1/2" plastic pipe moistened
inside and laid into the mulch which can be tapped over a bucket of soapy
water; rolls of damp newpaper strewn with a little cornmeal which can be
collected and destroyed)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 14:22:04 -0400, Pam
wrote:



I like floating row cover a whole lot. Solves an awful lot
of insect problems.

But..but..but...how does a floating row cover stop an insect
that creeps out from under mulch, boards, and garden debris?

I dust my plants with rotenone when necessary, and use
diatomaceous earth.


Pam, and what about the hostile sub-terrestrials?


See above.

Pat

Try Diatomaceous Earth. It dehydrates crawling insects, as well as slugs.
It is organic. Once a bug steps in it, they pretty much have a 48 hr.
lifespan. You can find the powder in Lowes or Home Depot and other garden
centers. This is NOT the same as what people use in swimming pools. I
usually buy the yellow bag made my Concern. Read the label and it will tell
you what pests it kills and what it's made of.

I know that earwigs is one that it lists. Good luck.

Penny
Zone 7b - North Carolina
"Bill Litchfield" wrote in message
...
Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Thanks,
Bill

In article , "Bill Litchfield" wrote:
Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Wet some newspaper, roll into a funnel shape. Place near the plants after
dark. In the morning check the trap. Crush up the paper if it contains
earwigs. Repeat.


--

Charles
Remove the tYpo to make mind...

Pat Meadows wrote:
Pam wrote:

I like floating row cover a whole lot. Solves an awful lot
of insect problems.

But..but..but...how does a floating row cover stop an insect
that creeps out from under mulch, boards, and garden debris?

I dust my plants with rotenone when necessary, and use
diatomaceous earth.

That's an edible you're suggesting those for. I wouldn't.

Henriette

Bill Litchfield wrote:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Thanks,
Bill

Clear out habitat.

I applied fresh coffee grounds to get rid of my slugs and you know what? I
don't think the earwigs handled it very well, either.

Bill
--
I do not post my address to news groups.

I tried the soy sauce and veg. oil trap a couple days ago, to try and
reduce the damage to my poor bush beans. The next morning, I had about
a half-dozen earwigs and a couple of big slugs in both traps and have
been catching more ever since. So that method gets a ringing
endorsement.

Noydb wrote in message ...
Bill Litchfield wrote:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Thanks,
Bill

Clear out habitat.

I applied fresh coffee grounds to get rid of my slugs and you know what? I
don't think the earwigs handled it very well, either.

Bill

On 2003-06-26 09:34:27 -0700, "Bill Litchfield" said:

Earwigs have been chewing the living hell out of my Basil plants. They do
this at night, and I'm asleep while they're chomping. What can be done to
stop their nasty feeding? I garden Organically, so chemical pesticides are
out. Anybody??

Thanks,
Bill

I had a terrible earwig problem in my organic garden, too. I tried the
rolled-up newspapers, diatomaceous earth, etc. and nothing worked (I
didn't try the floating row cover). I've been using yogurt container
traps and they work great! I now use watered-down beer instead of oil,
just because it's easier to dispose of (I just pour it out on the
ground). Here's what I do:

1. Dig a hole large enough to set the yogurt container flush with the
ground. I put one-two traps per row, depending on how bad the basil was
being eaten, usually somewhere in the middle of the row.

2. Fill it halfway with cheap beer, then fill to about 1/4 inch below
the rim with water. The water is just to save money - you could use
beer only. I use the cheapest beer I can find.

3. Empty, rinse and refill the traps every three to seven days. If it's
been hot, I replace them more often because the beer evaporates
quicker. I caught a bunch of earwigs the first couple weeks, and now
the problem is under control enough that I've removed about half the
traps. You might catch some slugs, too, but that's not a bad thing.

Good luck!