Slug and Earwig Damage – Leaves Eaten Again, But Where Are The Pests?

OK, you get up check your flowers and vegetable and wow where did these holes come from? You don’t see any bugs around. Chances are they have been eaten by slugs or earwigs.

Slugs and Earwigs are probably the most persistent and most common garden pests. In large numbers, they can wreak havoc to an entire planting bed or garden. Problem is, they are night marauders and you will need to go out in the evening with a flashlight, say around 10:00PM, to find them. Now, how do you get rid of them?

Slugs normally eat broad leaf plants like marigolds, petunias, salvia and will also eat vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, kale, chard, and also lettuce I found this year. The unusual amount of wet rainy weather this year has made my gardens open territory for a feeding frenzy. I seemed to have found quite a few different varieties as a result of this rainy summer in all sizes from the very tiny hard to see ones on my lettuces (need to wear my glasses), to the super massive ones that I refuse to touch without some kind of glove. Did you know that there are 40 different species of slugs in the United States alone? With some in the Northwest growing to 8 inches and up to 18 inches? Wow, thought you might want to know this. The most common garden slug in the New England area is about one inch long, thank God…

Earwigs are can also come in different size and can be just as destructive. They are definitely much faster and have these horrible little antennae and pinchers. They are a little more difficult to get rid of. These little pests hatch their eggs in the late winter and early spring and then decide to stay around all summer.

Chemical versus Organic Solutions

Earwigs

I am not a huge fan of using chemicals; however, these are a couple that will work for earwigs. Diazinon can be dusted around the plants and this insecticide will be tracked back to the nest thus killing many more. I have found that many times earwig nests are very close to the house around the foundation, so if dusted along the foundation, this will help to decrease and often eradicate the earwig nests. If Liquid Seven is used, it needs to be sprayed on the plants and kills the insects as they eat the plants.

Diatomaceous earth is another product that comes in the form of a chalky powder. It is the natural fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. Not always easy to find. The dust is sprinkled around the plants and it easily clings to the bodies of insects as they walk and crawl over it. The tiny diatom particles cut the waxy coating of insects and they dry out and die of dehydration. It is all-natural and safe. Always use gloves, protective glasses and even a mask when using because it can irritate eyes and lungs.

An organic method for ridding of earwigs involves placing rolled up newspapers or paper towel rolls on the ground near problem plants and beds with one end taped shut. Earwigs love damp wood or paper and will crawl under or into these tubes during the heat of the day. In mid morning collect the tubes and either dispose of them or give them to someone who has chickens; they love them.

One method I just found out about is vegetable oil. They love it and I read that by placing a tin (aluminum pie tin) in the ground up to the lip and filling it with vegetable oil will invite the earwigs to come swimming… You decide if this is a method for you…

Slugs

Slugs are snails and like earwigs will forage and strip your plants during the night. I have found that my hostas are a delicacy for them.

By now you have all probably heard that beer is one of the easy solutions to ridding of slugs, especially stale beer because it is the yeast and sugar they crave, not the alcohol itself. Have you ever seen a drunken slug? Take a cover from a jar and bury it in the ground so that the top of the lip is just above the ground so the slugs can crawl in. Fill the cover with the stale beer or a mixture of 1 teaspoon of yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar in 3 ounces of water. Check the cover in the morning and dispose of the drowned slugs. Do not leave for more than 48 hours. Refill the cover and prepare for the next group of swimmers.

Some people lay boards down to attract the slugs, not my favorite thing to do because then I have to usually pick the slimy critters up and off the boards. Yuck! If you do happen to get the slime on your hands pour a little cheap white vinegar over them and wash it off with lukewarm water. It will cut the slime.

Grinding the shells of walnuts, pecans, or filberts and sprinkling them around the plants is another suggestion, although, a little costly. The sharp edges will cut the slugs up. I have also taken all the egg shells I have collected over the winter and dried and crushed them and saved them in a container for the summer to sprinkle around my plants, especially hostas. This works quite well and is a nice environmental way to reuse the shells if not disposed of in the compost pile. Diatomaceous earth is another product that can be purchased that has the same effect if you do not eat eggs or nuts…

I have heard that a barrier around plants of powdered ginger works or wood ashes which act as a desiccant and dries up the slugs.

Ah, here is an instant solution that I have not used personally, but have friends that have tried this method and say it works. Take a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, place in a bottle and spray the slugs. They will dissolve almost immediately and you do not need to be a sharp shooter, just aim quite close to the slugs.

For those who are night owls, you can always take a salt shaker, and go hunting in the middle of the night. Sprinkle each slug once found. Take a friend to hold the flashlight for you.

A barrier of lime 2 inches around the planting area will dissolve slugs, but like diatomaceous earth needs to be reapplied after each rain storm. Difficult this year with all the rain we have and a lot of work.

Other methods of control include Weed Patrol and keeping weeds in check and away from plants. Pull mulch away from the base of your plants and apply after temperatures have reached 70-75 degrees. Keep all decaying debris out of the garden beds, especially dead leaves and branches. Keep shrubs pruned especially near the bases near the bed surfaces.

Here is a new one, copper strips as a barrier will give slugs a jolt of electricity. I would like to know who has tried this and if it works. It seems the metal ions in copper are what repel slugs.

Have you ever heard of Quack Grass? Supposedly it damages the nerves slugs use for feeding. Chop it up and use it as mulch or soak it and make a tea and spray directly on plants. I would also know if anyone has tried this method.

I am always looking for ways to use my coffee grounds like around my Rhododendrons to encourage flower production. Recently, I discovered that these same grounds have other valuable uses like mulching and compost building because it is high in nitrogen which makes it a great material for dressing around fast growing vegetables. Many organic growers use coffee grounds around tomato plants because it helps to suppress late blight. Now I use coffee grounds around plants that attract slugs to help reduce the ravages these snails have on my plants – they would rather feast on the coffee grounds.

Other methods include oat bran scattered around plants, cocoa hulls used as mulch which is also beneficial adding nitrogen to the soil as it breaks down and suppresses weed growth. Rosemary scattered or grown around areas repels slugs. You can always take the salt shaker and venture out in the middle of the night and douse the slug resulting in a quick death, not exactly pleasant, but effective. Salt can be toxic to the soil, so use as little as possible.

There are many more organic methods to ridding of slugs and earwigs; some work and some don’t. You need to try one or several methods and be persistent and repetitive.

Just so you know slugs and earwigs do have their benefits. Slugs are important in the ecological life cycle. They help cycle organic matter, which helps to build healthy rich soil. They are food for wildlife like raccoons, garter snakes, toads, turtles, and birds. Earwigs are pesky bugs; however, they will devour almost anything. They eat other destructive bugs like aphids and mites. Why can’t they stop there and stay away from our plants.

So the decision is in your hands. Are they doing enough damage to eliminate? Are they more harmful then beneficial? You be the judge. The verdict is yours.