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Hi, my name is:
European Earwig
Describe yourself: I am one striking little number, about 12-20mm in length! I'm smooth, shiny, dark chocolate brown, with sensational pale yellow legs, shoulders and pincers! Oh yeah, I'm as gorgeous as I sound! And, I don't actually crawl into peoples ears!
Hobbies: My one true love is organic matter... I love sheltering in it during the day, cosy with all my friends! Night time is my time for getting busy and I just adore eating out. I will pretty much try anything you've got in your garden!
Likes: Fruit, vegetables and field crops are favourite foods, but I also like zinnias, roses and dahlias. I feast on the roots of seedlings, mosses and lichens. I love it when you overwork your garden reducing the bio-diversity! All the more for me to eat! I enjoy cool, moist weather, especially in spring and autumn!
Dislikes: Birds and lizards. I hate a really clean and tidy garden with no hiding spots!
You'll know you've met me when: All your plants' growing tips, stems, flowers and fruits have lovely gouge marks and nibble spots in them. I love to munch seedling roots, and can destroy a bed in a single night.
Old School Control Methods: Derris dust
Breaking up ain't hard to do... if you:
Set up a trap, using an upside down pot stuffed with newspaper or straw... I can't resist these.
Place a dish of vegetable oil, buried up to the rim, near your seedlings. I love it but it's not good for me.
Let your chooks scratch about in the garden for a while (just make sure the chooks have had a nice big feed of greens first!).
Clean up any detritus and junk around the garden.
Create a diverse garden. This encourages predators... enough said!
Half fill a jar with beer and lay it on its side where I am most active. I love beer, but when I drink it I die.
Photographs:
Pic 1: www.discoverlife.org
Pic 2: http://www.pbase.com/michaelsv/image/47238003
Pic 3: www.championdaylilies.com Desc: European Earwig damage
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