DIY Earwig Trap Gets Rid Of Earwigs Naturally

Have earwigs in the garden? You aren’t the only one, trust me! One of the things that bug me (HAH!) most about gardening is trying to outsmart the bugs without resorting to chemicals.

My least favorite garden pest is the earwig and having this DIY earwig trap out by my plants is an absolute must. What is an earwig? They are nasty, creeping looking bugs and I will give you more info below.

Of course, learning how to make a homemade earwig trap is a great way to save money, right? Since a DIY earwig traps takes only pennies to make, you should definitely learn to make your own.

Posts feature partner companies & may be sponsored. Post contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DIY earwig trap to get rid of earwigs without chemicals

What is an earwig?

So, what is an earwig? Wikipedia defines them as a small elongated insect with a pair of terminal appendages that resemble pincers.

They are also called pincer bugs. In other words, long, skinny, antennae on the head, pincers on the back end. You’ll know it if you see it.

Like this homemade earwig trap?  Try these garden tips, too:

You can get earwigs in the house if you have particularly damp areas but in my opinion, earwigs in the garden are a much bigger problem. Since they really love damp areas, the DIY earwig trap that I make is basically a tiny damp house for them to hide in until you can toss them in the trash.

By Charlesjsharp (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
By Charlesjsharp (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

✯Don’t want to miss the next post?✯

Follow Turning the Clock Back on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Or join the private Facebook group for simple tips on going green!

How do you get rid of earwigs?

If you have earwigs in the garden you can easily make your own homemade earwig trap with a few simple supplies you have laying around the house. Earwigs are mostly nocturnal and like to hide in small, moist crevices during the day.

They are active at night, feeding on a wide variety of insects and plants.

How to Make an Earwig Trap

In order to trap these little buggers and get them out of your garden you need to give them a small, moist little crevice to hide in besides your leafy lettuce plants! If making your own earwig traps doesn’t solve your problems, try diatomaceous earth in the garden instead.

Methods for Killing Earwigs

  1. Use a mixture of dish soap and water if you want to avoid pesticides.  Just squirt dish liquid in a spray bottle and fill it with water. Spray this directly on the earwig. It should kill them very quickly.
  2. Make an alcohol-based insecticide spray to kill earwigs. Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle.  Be careful spraying on plant leaves.  
  3. Sprinkle boric acid powder to get rid of earwigs INSIDE YOUR HOME.  Boric acid can kill your plants so don’t use it in the garden!
  4. Use this DIY earwig trap to kill earwigs in the garden

How to Kill Earwigs without pesticides

Are earwigs harmful?

Generally, earwigs are fairly harmless. They look intimidating but don’t really bite unless agitated. 

I wouldn’t suggest picking them out of your garden with your bare fingers but don’t hide in fear from them either. In large numbers, however, they can do damage to your crops.

In small numbers, they are considered a beneficial insect so only worry about setting out earwig traps if you see a TON of them. 

How to Make an Earwig Trap 1

Supplies for your Homemade Earwig Traps

Making an earwig trap is easy enough. They are attracted to damp areas. All you need to do to make this DIY earwig trap is to get some newspaper wet, roll it up, and secure it loosely enough that they can still crawl inside of it. 

Here is what you will need:

Earwig Trap Supplies

  • Newspaper (this is a great way to use old newspapers!  Make tons, give them to friends!)
  • water bottle
  • scissors
  • duct tape, elastic bands or some other means of securing your earwig trap.

How to Make an Earwig Trap

DIY Earwig Trap Directions

Okay, now comes time for assembly! This will seriously only take you 5 minutes. Then you will have plenty of time to figure out how to keep snails out of the garden, too!

When you are done with your earwig trap, head over to my post about how to attract toads to the garden and build yourself a toad house. Then, the toad can help you get rid of earwigs, too!

    1. Cut a section of the newspaper into 4 pieces. You want the ‘edge’ on one side and the paper fanned out a bit on the other as shown in the picture above.
    2. Spray the paper lightly with water. You want your earwig trap damp but not actually WET.
    3. Now, just loosely roll your newspaper up. You want plenty of nooks and crannies in there. I rolled a few of the papers individually, then rolled them all up together, sort of folding it over on itself. You want the width to be about as big as that of a garden hose.
    1.  

How to Make an Earwig Trap

Get Rid of Earwigs in the Garden with your Earwigs trap!

Next, you just need to put your earwig trap out into the garden. Since earwigs are most active at night you should put your damp earwig trap at the base of your plant around dusk.

In the morning just take your earwig traps and throw them into a plastic bag and tie it up tight before throwing them in the trash.

If you are feeling humane you can let your new friends go in an area far, FAR away from your garden but I am not particularly sympathetic to my garden pests!

How to Make an Earwig Trap 4

Remember, choosing eco-friendly garden ideas like this homemade earwig trap will minimize the carbon footprint of your garden. The fewer pesticides we use, the more bee-friendly our yard is!

Do you have a problem with earwigs in the garden? How do YOU get rid of them? Try earwig traps!

 

Yield: 1 Earwig Trap

DIY Earwig Trap Gets Rid Of Earwigs Naturally

diy earwig trap in the garden

This DIY earwig trap is made with damp newspapers to get rid of earwigs in the garden naturally without pesticides.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty easy
Estimated Cost $2.00

Materials

  • Newspaper
  • Spray bottle of water
  • Duct Tape or rubber band

Tools

  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Cut newspaper into strips
  2. strips of newspaper
  3. Spray thoroughly with water
  4. water bottle, duct tap and newspaper for earwig trap
  5. Roll into loose cylinders
  6. rolls of damp newspaper for a home made earwig trap
  7. Wrap with Duct tape or elastic band
  8. diy earwig trap in the garden
  9. Leave them out in the garden overnight and discard in the morning

Notes

Make plenty so you can replace them daily as needed.


6 thoughts on “DIY Earwig Trap Gets Rid Of Earwigs Naturally”

  1. Great article. I just spotted one on my windshield last night when I dropped my daughter off at her house. She has just started a garden. I am definitely showing her this article AND the picture.

    Reply
  2. Don’t waste the earwigs! If you or your neighbours have chooks, make yourself popular and empty them into their pen…. the chooks love them!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Skip to Instructions