Earwig Menace

Did you inspect your trap in the daytime? They are nocturnal and will climb into the pot at dawn and then you can get rid OR move them to another part of the garden, they are good for getting rid of aphids! ! !
I saw this on Gardeners World this week. :~))

Deepest sympathies Treacle :(
There are a couple of mine that they eat :(((
Not amusing is it ? :(((((
I haven't overcome the problem yet either.

Have you tried vaseline?..no I'm not being funny!!!!....it will be time consuming but if you put a little vaseline on the stems......it might keep them away....I was given this tip for my dahlias....Ian is right about the traps....the earwigs like dry conditions to sleep in.....shredded paper will work as well. Good Luck!!

My heart goes out to you. I have earwigs and they are SO destructive.... munching their way through the dalhias and the new shoots on celmatis and they LOVE Potato creepers. That tip about the upturned flower pot didn't work! If you come up with anything let me know.

Thanks everyone, for your replies. Ian, I did check the traps in the daytime and got the grand total of 2 earwigs - I suppose over time I might catch enough to make a difference!!

Amblealice - I will try the vaseline tip - thanks.

Chasecraft - sympathy ALWAYS works. At least if my plants are scoffed, I can get some comfort knowing that I'm not the only person suffering (lol) does that make me a bad person?

Sorry I couldn't help, I was just repeating what they had said on gardeners world. :~((

I had loads of earwigs in my garden shed at the start of the summer, so I dusted the floor with ant stop powder which is for ants and crawling insects.
the earwigs haven,t been back since.
Something was eating my dahlias and dianthus but couldn,t see any signs of slugs and someone said it could be earwigs so I used the same stuff around the plants and under the ones in pots, the plants are growing well now with no further signs of being eaten.
got the ant stop powder from the pound shop

Ooh Usernut...that sounds a good idea...might just try that.....feel a bit stupid slapping vaseline on everything....lol

I'll be trying it too.

Do remember that ant powder will kill anything that comes into contact wtih it, including mammals, birds, beneficial insects, etc. Use enough of it and it could potentially enter the water table - it is not intended or licensed for outdoor use. Remember, it is a poison. Beware.

Oooohhhhheeeeeeeeer....might just change my mind about that one.....drat....((:

yes, it is a poison, like many other things that kill insects, so consideration should be used when using it.