EARWIGS!!!!

Model a man,

Earwigs ate all my parsley, spinach and chard before I waged war on them. I visited the nursery near my house and purchased a product called Sluggo Plus

Here is link to their info sheet:

http://www.montereylawngarden.com/pdf/sluggo-plus.pdf

Worked like a charm after one application!

Have wondered if any of you had luck or not with the post I did on trapping earwigs. They are not as thick here this year so I can’t relate to my past success with the traps. Someone did mention that the traps were not that effective. So here are notes cut from a post in Garden Web I plan to fortify the vrgetable oil with the underlined mixture below. Happy trapping.
"I read on a posting (somewhere) that earwigs can be detered from coming into the house if you sprinkle bay leaves around. I decided to try this in my pots. It worked! Now my petunias are doing nicely. All I did was sprinkle the bay leaves on top of the soil. Maybe if I break up the leaves next time the slugs won't visit either. The rough edges of the broken leaves might deter them. I imagine this may even work in the garden.

An easy way to reduce the earwig population is to take a few rolled up newspaper(s) (secured with a rubberband), wet it and leave it out overnight near your affected garden beds. In the morning dispose of the newspaper in a plastic bag, (being careful not to spill the ends or unroll the paper). It will be filled with earwigs. They love to hide in dark damp places. Secure the plastic bag so the little creeps dont escape and throw it away.
I printed out the various posts and made a mix similar to what was recommended - 1 tbsp each of vegetable oil, molasses, and soy sauce. I put some in two cans, and placed the cans in the garden. This morning, both to my horror and delight, both cans are FULL of dead earwigs!!! On one hand I'm thrilled that this method has helped me more than anything else I've tried (soap, pyrethrin, and rotenone). On the other hand, I can see that I have a large population, and will need to continue this tactic for quite some time.

It may take a few days for the mixture to "age" as mine took that long to get going last year before filling up quickly. Be sure to mix the two ingredients good as oil and soy sauce separate into layers. I mix a batch in a separate container first then pour it into the yogurt cup type traps. Place traps at the base of the target plants.

A grower of show dahlias puts vaseline on the stems of her flowers to keep earwigs out!
I would be tempted to use Diatomaceous earth. The only problem is that I would not like the idea of breathing the dust, so I would wet the plants or ground first and apply it in moderation at the base of the most important plants. I saved a passion flower vine this way. I must have had the european earwigs as the leaves were indeed being chewed by them. I could watch them chewing.
And of course, there's the pick-squish-stomp method...or you can drop them into soapy water as they are caught.
Diazanon and Sevin sprays are also effective. Be sure to read and follow all package directions and cautions EXACTLY . “ These last two chemicals mite not appeal to strict organic gardeners but I do use a little seven close to my house and away from my vegetables.

They decimated my marigolds. Beets were a total failure. About 10% of the beans made it up the pole (although cracks in the bamboo turned out to be a favourite daytime sleeping place). I think the only reason why potatoes survived is cause they grew too fast.

I learnt a lot last year:

1. Diatomaceous earth only works when bone dry so is fine until it rains or there is a heavy morning due
2. They like dark wooden areas, so stick ant and earwig killer around garden sheds and fences especially in nooks and crannies like door hinges, door tops and between wooden slats.
3. They LOVE sleeping in lawn thatch. So de-thatch and get in early.
4. Through the summer I went out almost every night to squish them. Squishing killed more than any other method I have discovered.
5. Check points 2 and 4 - then shine a light on your garden fence and SQUISH!
6. They don;t like bright light so if you use a flash light at night, be subtle - as soon as the light hits them they will either run for cover or if on an upright façade will let go and drop instantly
7. While walking around the garden at night LOOK DOWN. There are loads running around the lawn.
8. They prefer baby plants so try to grow stuff as much as possible before planting out - its the only way marigolds will survive the onslaught.
9. The only plants that were not attacked were those in a new raised bedding area (2 foot high). Toward the end of the year there was an indication maybe the earwigs had got there so I suspect this year they will infest it - li'l buggers
10. Don't show the wife - she is liable to scream (well, mine did anyway)

MODEL A MAN: how did the nematodes do? Your my only hope Obi......