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Artnotwar
Chemical Researcher
Registered: 04/07/06
Posts: 3,379
Last seen: 10 months, 26 days
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Earwigs eating my cacti.
#11343666 - 10/29/09 06:29 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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So I've never had this problem before, but this year, there seems to be a shit load of earwigs around. It seems to be only at night, i find them sitting on the very tip of my cacti munching away at it. This leaves white marks on my cacti, nothing serious, but the less marks on my cacti the better. Anyone had this problem, or know how i can minimize the earwig population around my home?
-------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charged electromagnetic spectrum, humans learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear... is less than one millionth of reality. --------------------------------
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Dango_Bill
Seven
Registered: 12/01/07
Posts: 307
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Re: Earwigs eating my cacti. [Re: Artnotwar]
#11343677 - 10/29/09 06:34 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Bastards! They ate a ton of my potato plants last summer. I hate earwigs.
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papatong1
What you lookin' at?
Registered: 06/08/09
Posts: 96
Loc: Behind the Bamboo Curtain
Last seen: 5 years, 7 months
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Re: Earwigs eating my cacti. [Re: Artnotwar]
#11343709 - 10/29/09 06:47 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Not sure if this is helpful for your particular problem, but for pests in general, I grind up chili peppers and soak in water for 24 hours and strain. Then spritz liberally. I've even heard of adding a drop of dish washing soap. Right now I am trying a tobacco mix, but not as much hope for that as chili preparation.
-------------------- Where ever there are three people, one of them will be my teacher. Everything I say is a lie. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. Except for that. ad infinitum
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta
Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Earwigs eating my cacti. [Re: Artnotwar]
#11343721 - 10/29/09 06:52 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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I have quite a few out my ways too not that they have done any damage though(fingers crossed), I'm just amazed by their numbers.
They like to hide under pots, saucers, debris, stuff like that. Hunt out where they are hiding during the day and squash them or alternatively bust out the fly spray.
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MycOhunter
Registered: 03/05/09
Posts: 649
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Re: Earwigs eating my cacti. [Re: Artnotwar]
#11343810 - 10/29/09 07:22 AM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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True Community: The process of deep respect and true listening for the needs of the other people in this community.
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satyr
אתה בעצמך יודע
Registered: 11/13/07
Posts: 3,396
Loc: Alpha Canis Majoris
Last seen: 11 years, 6 months
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Re: Earwigs eating my cacti. [Re: MycOhunter]
#11346803 - 10/29/09 05:26 PM (14 years, 4 months ago) |
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Earwigs normally thrive in moist areas, and love to hide under things that keep the soil underneath moist. For starters, try to keep the soil around your cacti dry for a few weeks, or as long as they can afford to. If you have any gravel or rocks as a topping, move it away from the cacti to expose the soil around the base. If you are able, trying doing the same thing to the areas around your cacti to keep them out of the general vicinity.
Doing this should deter the little buggers from nomming your plants, or at least make the less enthusiastic about doing so. I hear DE works well for them, but I havent tried it personally as I've never had an earwig issue. If this still doesn't work, perhaps consider giving them a better option of food, like old veggies or fruit; the buggers love rotting and decaying plant matter.
-------------------- Looking for Astrophytum asterias specimens; have cacti for trade
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