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Earwigs their Habits and Organic Control

Earwigs are beetle-like insects about 3/4" long and reddish-brown. The insect has a prominent pair of forcep-like cerci at the rear of the body. Earwigs are white after they moult, but become darker as their external skeleton hardens. The nymphs disperse from the brood cell in early July.

Earwigs are primarily scavengers (dead insects and rotting plants). Some species are predators and some species will emit a foul odor. Earwigs are elongate, flattened insects, ranging from light red-brown to black and are easily recognized by their forcep-like appendages (pincers) on the end of the abdomen. The forceps (cerci) are unequal in length in the males.

Earwigs are insects belonging to the order Dermaptera. Most earwigs feed on decaying plant matter but some species are predatory and feed on a variety of other insects. Earwigs are attracted to outdoor lighting. Earwigs are unwelcome guests in most everyone?s garden or home. These three-quarter-inch- long, reddish brown insects look particularly formidable, with their rear pincers and quick movements.

Earwigs are protected during the day when they are beneath debris or below the soil surface.

For their organic control emulsifiable concentrates or wettable powders can be used with good results.

Earwigs are members of the insect Order Dermaptera and range in size from extremely tiny to a couple of inches long. They are also known to give off a bad smell. To keep them out of your home, caulk and repair spaces and cracks around the outside of your home.

Females lay clusters of eggs in crevices or burrows and guard them while keeping them neat and clean. This degree of maternal care is uncommon among insects.

Eggs of the first brood hatch in 70 days after being laid because of the cool spring temperatures and eggs laid in late spring or summer take only about 20 days to hatch. Egg laying can take place twice per year (spring and summer).

Earwigs live for approximately one year, but most often the males die during the winter months. Eggs hatch in about 17 days, unless it is near winter. If the weather is getting cold, the eggs won’t hatch until the next Spring, when the temperature is warm again.

Mulches, grass clippings, and leaf litter often provide the decaying organic matter they need to survive. Mulched flower beds and compost pits are also a prime habitat. Chemical treatments in areas where the earwigs breed are most effective.

Trapping is an effective, easy and low-tech way to reduce earwig populations. Rolled up newspapers or corrugated cardboard, low-sided cans such as tuna cans filled with oil, burlap bags, boards, an 8-10 inch piece of garden hose and a bamboo tube can all be used as traps.

Traps can be of various designs but should produce dark hiding areas that the earwigs will seek out for daytime shelters. Rolled corrugated cardboard can be very effective, as can rolled or crumpled newspapers. Traps can be made from timber 12”x15” raised off the the ground on 1” runners.

Insecticides available include carbaryl (Sevin), cyfluthrin, permethrin and several more. Most of these insecticides are available from garden centres and chemists.

Insecticidal soaps and diatomaceous earth formulations may also be effective where they will contact earwigs directly. It may be necessary to repeat applications at regular intervals.

Choose one which says on the label that it is suitable for crawling insects including earwigs and has a residual life (remains active for a long period of time).

Earwigs were so named because of the erroneous belief that they sometimes creep into human ears. They are completely harmless to humans but are known to transmit virus diseases that affect plants.

Earwigs undergo a type of development known as incomplete metamorphosis, in which the nymphs progress through a series of moults. The stages between moults are known as ‘instars’. Earwigs have wings but they are rarely used to fly. Earwigs are only normally active in darkness, and at the start of the night they begin their search for food and shelter.

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http://www.blog.containergardeningmagazine.com Container Gardening Magazine presents Aphids on Container Gardening – container gardening web site.

Aphids Their Lives and their Effects

Aphids are tiny herbivorous insects in the superfamily Aphidoidea, within the order Hemiptera, which also includes cicadas , gnats, and many other "true bugs.".There are ten families of aphids and about 4,000 species. Aphids live around the world, but are most common in temperate areas. They are distributed worldwide, but are most common in temperate zones.

Also, in contrast to many taxa, species diversity is much lower in the tropics than in the temperate zones. Aphids are the most common insects found on trees, shrubs, and garden ornamental plants. Over 350 different aphid species occur in the state but most can feed on only a few species of plants.

Aphids are soft-bodied insects that use their piercing sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap. They usually occur in colonies on the undersides of tender terminal growth. The presence of aphids, their shed skins and honeydew can reduce the aesthetic quality of a wide range of greenhouse crops. They also such tiny pests which can cause big problems in the garden. They damage plants by sucking the juices from the leaves and stems, which weakens the plant.

Aphids are sneaky and inconspicuous little beasties. They can show up, breed like crazy and completely destroy your flowers, vegetables and even trees before you ever know there’s a problem.

They feed on a large range of crops including vegetables, tree crops, broad acre crops and ornamentals. These tiny brown or black bugs show up in masses on the leaves of plants. On water plants, they will usually hunker down deep in the folds of new growth or dot the upper surface.

Plants of the rose family are popular with some, while bamboo, willow, oak, walnut, maple, sugarcane, lettuce, alfalfa, and more, are popular with others. One serious pest, Grape Phylloxera, is a relative of the aphid.

Because of their symbiotic relationship with aphids, keep ants out of the garden.

Females undergo a modified meosis that results in eggs that are genetically identical to their mother (parthenogenetic). The embryos develop within the mothers ovarioles, and give live birth to 1st instar nymphs (viviparous).

Generation after generation of wingless females survive one another until hot weather comes or maybe the plant on which they are living dies and then suddenly some of the females grow wings and fly off.

Aphids often feed in dense groups and do not move rapidly when disturbed. Generation time may be increased by dry conditions and host-plant stress. Often, aphids can achieve economically threatening populations within a week or two.

Leaves attacked by aphids have spotty yellow discolourations, usually on the undersides. The leaves may later dry out and wilt or curl. Leaves of plants may be distorted by aphids feeding on the undersides. Succulent stems may wilt or growth may be arrested by colonies of aphids.

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