Earwigs Freak the Bejeezus Out of Me!

One goal of my gardening has been to create a space full of wonderfully colorful plants that not only look beautiful but also attract insects, birds and frogs.

Many of the plants attract a multitude of bug life to the yard so I try not to use any pesticides. I mostly squish bad bugs with my fingers/shoes or knock them off a plant with a jet of hose water. 

In the summer, there are so many kinds of flies, bees, wasps and hornets, I'm not really sure what any of them are.

I love to watch butterflies, even if they are just those darn white cabbage butterflies. I don't even mind if  caterpillars eat some of the host plants, as long as it is a "good" butterfly. Tent caterpillars are another story.  

I even like spiders, and have been known to feed them in the fall. You know the ones, they make their webs everywhere and make it impossible to not walk through one at some point when reaching down to pull a weed or just walking through your garden.  Ialways wonder if the spider is crawling on the back of my neck and get the willies.

The one bug I can do without are Earwigs.  They freak the bejeezus out of me...

Forficula auricularia - The common Earwig

I know they are harmless, but they have that "ick" factor. It must be the creepy pincer tail and how they try to attack you when provoked. Yuck!

I seem to encounter them most when I am deadheading flowers.  When I dump my tote into the big green compost bin, there are always a few lurking on the bottom trying to get away.

Earwigs primarily consume plant matter, though they also feed on aphids, spiders, insect eggs, dead plants and insects. 

 

So they could be a good bug really?!?  If only they were cuter!