Earwigs - what kills them?

 
'Morning, folks: I need some advice about what kills earwigs.


I'm being plagued with them.   I have a load of plants in pots, which
are up on benches (to keep the slugs and snails away, for drainage, and
for the benefit of my poor old back), but the earwigs are infesting
them.


The benches are raised on little stacks of house bricks, which I now
realise are perfect lurking grounds for earwigs...


Does ant powder actually kill them?
Would a ring of ant powder around each leg keep them out?

Any comments welcomed!

Rachel




--
Rachel 101

 @gardenbanter.co.uk says...

 Why do you want to kill them?

  Janet

 

I avoid them. But they used to be inside the chrysanthemums (sp?) that
my gran used to have in her garden.
*shudders* hundreds of them.
--
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk

 On Tue, 8 Nov 2011 09:29:40 +0000, Rachel 101


Remove where they live.

Pots of straw on sticks. Drop the straw into a blazing fire.

--
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk

 On 08/11/2011 09:29, Rachel 101 wrote:

I'm wondering if your problem pest is a woodlouse (pl.woodlice), rather
than an earwig.  Have a google or even look in a book.
Woodlice are attracted to cool, damp shady places, and are often found
near walls, stones or logs.

Another possibility, if your plants are seriously damaged, is the Vine
Weevil, which is a well-known pest of pot plants.  The adults bite
notches in foliage and their young eat away the root system.  There are
usually two broods a year.

Whichever creature it is, you should achieve good control by rebuilding
your little brick piers in trays of water so the critters can't reach
the plants.  I prefer to avoid killing bugs if I can, although I do
squish Vine Weevils.  Woodlice I add to my compost heap, as they help to
break down the contents.  I, fortunately, don't see many earwigs, but I
might be tempted to at least try the compost heap trick first.

Killing, if you must, can be done by squishing or poisoning.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay