The common earwig is one of the insects that can cause considerable damage to agricultural and garden plants. After reading today's article, you will learn what this pest looks like and how to deal with it.
Short description of the species
The earwig belongs to the order Leatheroptera, the main feature of which is the absence of the pupal stage. This insect has a small body, the length of which is about two centimeters. Although in nature there are specimens that have grown to 8 cm.
The whole body of the earwig, the photo of which can be seen in today's article, consists of shiny segments, painted in a brownish tint. This insect has two tails that visually resemble small swords. The role of their eyes is performed by the organs of touch, and specifically, the mustache.
Because this pest has short wings, it only flies in a vertical position, not rising high above the ground. This insect moves with the help of small numerous legs.
Habitat and lifestyle
Earwig is an insect,found mainly in rural areas. It lives in vegetable gardens, in gardens and in houses with a high level of humidity. In addition, it can settle in bathrooms, basements and other poorly ventilated areas.
To prevent these small unpleasant neighbors from appearing in your house, you need to keep your home in perfect order, not forgetting to air it regularly. On the street, earwigs can often be seen near water bodies, under stones and on wet leaves of plants.
The earwig, whose photo can be found in this publication, prefers to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. She begins to show activity with the onset of twilight. During the day, she tries to sit out in a dark, damp corner. These insects live in groups. Therefore, in wetlands there can be a lot of them.
Earwigs eat plant foods. They eat algae, mycelium, tree leaves, flowers, fruits and vegetables. In addition, they can eat bread crumbs and other leftover human food.
Reproduction
The common earwig begins to breed at the end of summer. After mating for several hours, the female begins to prepare a nest that looks like a straight mink about eight centimeters long.
After a few days, she lays her eggs and collects them in one big pile. The female covers them with the front part of her own body. She remains in the burrow for the next five or six weeks until the larvae hatch from the eggs. Earwigs jealously protect their offspringnot only from enemies, but also from their relatives. In addition, the female constantly wets the eggs with saliva so that mold does not begin to form on them.
The larvae that emerge from them immediately spread to their shelters. Outwardly, they are very similar to adults. During the remaining warm days, they have time to grow up enough to calmly spend the winter. And next year they will be able to breed their own offspring.
Why are earwigs dangerous for humans and plants?
Our distant ancestors were sure that during a bite, this insect releases a poisonous substance that causes instant death. In fact, this is an erroneous statement. Earwigs are not considered poisonous pests. The substance they secrete has a sharp specific smell. It is intended solely to scare away its natural enemies.
Defending themselves from danger, these insects can actually bite the enemy. For an adult, this will not have any consequences, but a child may feel some discomfort. In people prone to allergies, the bite of an earwig causes redness of the skin, swelling and swelling. Sometimes blisters appear in this place, resembling herpes.
As for green spaces, these insects cause the greatest harm to dahlias and chrysanthemums. These flowers are the favorite food of earwigs. In addition, these insects can attack bees and eat the food they collect.pollen.
Use of earwigs
In fact, these insects not only harm farmers, but also help them. Therefore, do not rush to destroy these pests. The common earwig eats caterpillars, aphids and spider mites. In addition, it helps keep the area free of flies, slugs, grubs, rotting and fallen fruit.
From this we can conclude that there is no need to fight with a small population of earwigs. It is advisable to take measures aimed at their destruction only when their number begins to increase sharply.
How to get rid of the common earwig?
One of the easiest methods to kill these insects are traps. If you need to quickly get rid of pests, you need to place wet rags around the seedlings. As soon as earwigs crawl on them, pieces of cloth are removed and poured with boiling water.
In addition, bran or boiled egg yolk can be used as bait. They add boric acid or any chemical insecticide.
No less effective is insect repellent. For these purposes, they usually use special crayons with a special smell that makes pests leave the greenhouse or apartment. Some people who want to get rid of earwigs place containers filled with basil throughout the room. The spicy aroma of this plant also repels earwigs.
Pest control can also be done with chemicals. To do this, seedlings are sprayed with drugs such as Iskra or Inta-vir.
Prevention measures
To prevent earwigs from growing in your home, you need to destroy all possible ways these insects get into living quarters. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that there is no constant source of moisture in the apartment. All faucets and pipes are checked for leaks and, if any, are repaired immediately. Also, experts recommend constantly monitoring the level of humidity in residential premises. Plus, there should be no cluttered places in the house in which unnecessary things accumulate. To do this, you need to regularly carry out general cleaning.
To prevent earwigs from settling in your greenhouses, they need to be regularly ventilated and freed from grass. It is extremely important to observe the mode of watering plants without flooding them. It is better to irrigate plantings in the morning, so that by the evening the top layer of soil has time to dry.
Regular loosening of the soil will not only saturate it with oxygen, but also prevent waterlogging. All this will reduce the risk of earwigs. An important role is played by the systematic weeding of the site, compliance with the recommended planting patterns and timely removal of debris and plant debris.
