Plant Doctor: Luring Earwigs

Q: SETTING traps for earwigs doesn’t seem to work so my pansies still have nibbled petals. Is there something natural to put around them or to add to the trap to attract the earwigs? L Crump, email.

A: EARWIGS hide during the day in cool moist places so you can reduce earwig numbers by clearing up rubbish and plant debris, leaving fewer places in which they can hide and breed. Set traps of scrunched up newspaper in which they’ll shelter and every few days shake them out into hot or soapy water, step on them or burn the paper to kill them. Most other control methods involve the use of insecticides but here’s one I heard about recently that you might like to try. First, buy a can of tuna and eat the tuna, leaving a little of the oil in the can. Place the can inside a scrunched up sheet of newspaper and put it out at night close to your precious pansies. Next day inspect the can and shake out any trapped earwigs into a bucket of soapy water or hot water to kill them. Next night replace the can and continue until the damage stops. If the tuna oil runs out you can top it up with a small amount of vegetable oil.