EARWIG POLLEN-EATING ORGY

malaprop · Post by **malaprop** » Jun 28, 2007 1:41 pm

Excuse if you've seen this post---I think it got et up.

Last night at midnight, I checked the hostas I had brought into the kitchen, and found and offed eight (8) earwigs!---they had crawled up and each one had taken over their own blossom like their own hotel room that was due to open the next day. And they had already eaten the pollen.......no wonder I haven't seen any fluffy pollen for weeks.....

I had pulled off an unopened blossom from outside and layed it on the kitchen counter, and just as was said, (thanks, pal) I had some nice fluffy pollen to work with this morning.

Everything is bass-ackwards this year. Most of my pod parents bloomed way too early, when I had no pollen, then the earwig feasted on what pollen I had. Maybe this is meant to be an "O.P." year......

wzbt03 · Post by **wzbt03** » Jun 28, 2007 3:04 pm

I am experiencing the same earwig issue.
I has put a halt to some buds flowering.

playinmud · Post by **playinmud** » Jun 28, 2007 3:33 pm

I've never heard of such a thing...do they eat a hole in the bud and crawl inside?

malaprop · Post by **malaprop** » Jun 28, 2007 3:48 pm

No, they're going in as soon as there is the tiniest opening.

Diazanon will kill them, but they seem to be active at night.

HostaDesigner · Post by **HostaDesigner** » Jun 28, 2007 4:40 pm

I've seen them devastate daylily blooms as well. Nasty bugs...

sugar · Post by **sugar** » Jun 28, 2007 4:48 pm

Earwigs are not that nasty. They are in fact predators eating a lot of other bugs (aphids amongst others)

They are absolutely welcome in my garden

wzbt03 · Post by **wzbt03** » Jun 28, 2007 6:55 pm

I just got done coating a lower section of the scape with vasoline. This should keep the earwigs at bay.

Most insects will not cross a layer of vasoline and it does not hurt the plant.

You might want to try it. Especially on breeders.

malaprop · Post by **malaprop** » Jun 28, 2007 10:26 pm

I'm going for the vasoline........one had 4 of them hidden on the scape.

impatience · Post by **impatience** » Jun 29, 2007 12:00 am

Yuck! Looks like something out of a Star Trek episode.

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Jun 29, 2007 12:32 am

Now, that's ugly!

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jun 29, 2007 2:17 pm

@ Imp! I think you're right. Something Sci-fi for sure.

Sorry about the earwig problems. Hope the vasoline does the trick!

baja220 · Post by **baja220** » Jun 29, 2007 8:39 pm

Is this a earwig?? I found this in the soil in one of my hosta beds today.

janey · Post by **janey** » Jun 29, 2007 9:32 pm

I hate earwigs....don't know if it's the name or the pincers, but as my now-23-tear-old said when he was the ripe old age of 3.....

"Gwoss, Mom, weally, weally gwoss!"

At that time he was actually referring to a really lousy seafood stir fry I had made for dinner, but the saying is apt in many situations.

malaprop · Post by **malaprop** » Jun 30, 2007 1:13 am

baja220 wrote:Is this a earwig?? I found this in the soil in one of my hosta beds today.

Uh-huh.....it's two earwigs ...facing off head to head for a fight.

largosmom · Post by **largosmom** » Jun 30, 2007 9:50 am

Yup, the pincers are on the back end rather than the front. yuk.

Hallson Gardens

EARWIG POLLEN-EATING ORGY

EARWIG POLLEN-EATING ORGY

Earwigs

Solution