Earwigs are one of the most easily recognized insect pests by gardeners and gardeners. Although this type of insect is not considered a pest in the general sense of the word, attacks on cultivated plants, especially at their early stages of growth, are possible, which often causes many problems.
The topic of our article today is how to get rid of two-worts in seedlings - a question that is often asked by beginning amateur gardeners who are faced with the damage caused by these insects. Before listing the most effective ways to help protect seedlings from two-easted insects, we would like to briefly remind our readers what these insects are.
Many of us consider them dangerous and even poisonous, all thanks to their terrifying appearance, and, apparently, there are reasons for this. However, it must be remembered that earwigs do not only cause harm, for example, they are voracious eaters of aphids.
Description of two-whiskers and earwigs
Diplura are arthropod wingless insects, recently introduced into a separate independent class, which includes subspecies such as projapygidae, campodeidae, and Japygidae. Distributed mainly in the tropical and subtropical parts of the planet. In Russia there are 20-30 species of Campodeidae, in the southern part of the country Japygidae. The average lifespan of the double-tailed insect is 12 months.
Two-tailed insects are small insects.
Appearance: body length 5-7 mm (in the class there are specimens 50 mm long), 6 pairs of legs, absence of eyes, elongated body, rounded head with antennae, the extreme appendages of the last abdominal segment are forked, claw-shaped, or elongated, have the ability to rapid recovery, the oral cavity is hidden inside the head, the color is light.
They choose a habitat with high humidity: rotten trees, forest litter, damp soil, large anthills, plant debris, greenhouses, compost pits.
Their body length is 2-5 mm. There are also larger individuals, the body length of which is 50 mm.
Food: remains of other animals, insects, plant waste, leftover food, fruits, vegetables, shoots and leaves of plants.
Reproduction: the female lays eggs in the soil. Fertilization occurs when the spermatophore enters the female's genital opening. Spermatophores are very tenacious; they can stand on a thin but stable stalk for up to two days, waiting for a passing female. Cubs hatched from eggs differ from adult two-tailed birds only in their smaller size and the absence of genitalia.
They easily enter the house through cracks, open doors and windows.
The common earwig (Dermaptera) is an insect from the order Leatheroptera. There are 1,200 species, distributed on almost all continents.
This is interesting! The name earwig appeared, according to one opinion, from the legend that an insect can penetrate the brain through the ear and destroy it, according to another opinion, the name comes from the word ear-wing (English). The shape of the insect's wing is similar to the auricle.
Earwigs, like all household insects, spread infections and make people's lives worse.
Appearance: flexible, curved body, consisting of 10 segments and a dense chitinous cover. Size: 10-16 mm. The color is brown with a brown or resinous tint. The elongated, jointed body ends with cerci, reminiscent of claws in shape. Three pairs of legs are yellow. There are no eyes. Long multi-segmented mustaches that replace the organs of touch. The gnawing opening of the mouth protrudes forward. Characteristic feature: leathery wings. The anterior transverse ones are compact in size, the rear fan-shaped ones cover the body to the middle of the abdomen. The earwig doesn't fly. With the help of its wings, it can sometimes make long jumps and flights.
It is quite difficult to fight them - they hide well during the daytime.
Habitat: compost pits, heaps of natural garbage, utility rooms with high humidity, old trees, a bathhouse, an outdoor shower, a flower bed.
Food: other insects, rotting crops, leftover food, leaves of garden and garden plants in the country.
Reproduction: incomplete transformation. Mating lasts 6-8 hours. The female climbs and lays eggs in a specially dug hole in the ground. She helps the larvae hatch by gnawing holes in the eggs, then licks them and warms them with her warmth.
Living in a greenhouse or greenhouse in large numbers, these two-tailed creatures cause a lot of problems for those who love gardening.
Interesting! It is especially noteworthy that the caring female does not abandon the larvae until they turn into adult insects.
Other names: European earwig, tick (Forficula auricularia), pincer, two-tailed.
Insects are similar in sting shape, type of nutrition and lifestyle. These predators go hunting at night; during the day they hide in shaded, damp places.
When a person encounters a two-tailed dog, he immediately has associations with painful bites.
Nutrition
Twotails feed on humus, but some representatives are predatory and can catch small insects, crustaceans, springtails and other invertebrates living near them. Predatory species of two-easted (pictured above) have cerci that resemble claws. With the help of these projections they grab and hold prey. Herbivorous two-tails (pictured below) have long and straight tail extensions, since they do not need to hunt for food.
Two-tails also eat mycelium threads, microscopic mites, eggs and larvae of insects, berries, young and decaying shoots. Hexapods feed in the dark, finding food with the help of sensitive antennae. They can take food underground to eat during the day. But when the sun's rays appear on the soil surface, the two-tailed plants do not appear.
The difference between the two-tailed earwig and the earwig
- Insects belong to different families.
- Body color and size.
- Earwigs have wings.
Double-tailed animals are unpleasant to humans due to their appearance. They carry various infections on their feet. They do not pose a threat to human life, but an adult pincer can bite noticeably without deeply piercing the skin with its claws.
Doubletails are much smaller than earwigs, namely from 2 to 5 mm in length, in the rarest cases up to 5 cm.
Attention! The venom injected during the bite is not poisonous. But cases of allergies are possible: a painful blister appears at the site of the bite. You must seek medical help!
Two-tails in small quantities are beneficial. For example, they destroy aphids in the garden. But due to rapid reproduction, all planted crops begin to spoil.
According to modern ideas, the first two-tails arose in the late Carboniferous period.
Are tweezers dangerous?
Many people are concerned about the dangers of pinching. In addition to the fact that arthropods harm garden crops, their presence in the house increases the likelihood of the spread of infectious microorganisms. In addition, two-tailed creatures bite quite painfully. This causes the damaged area to itch, turn red and swell. This can cause fluid-filled blisters to appear, which subsequently form long-lasting, non-healing ulcers. Therefore, the presence of pests in a house or apartment is simply unacceptable.
Interesting!
There are also a lot of horror stories prophesying that the two-tailed bug can get into a person’s ear and damage the eardrum. Such cases cannot be excluded, but the likelihood of their occurrence is no higher than the penetration of other insects, such as earwigs in the ear.
How do two-tails get into housing?
- There is high humidity in the room (Causes: the room is poorly heated, there was a flood, poor ventilation).
- Dampness after leaks, moisture accumulation due to non-functional ventilation.
- Presence of cracks in the floor and foundation.
- Unclosed entrance doors.
- Cluttering with old unnecessary things.
- Repair (penetration through riser, basement).
- Moving from forests and countryside on clothing and animal fur.
- Open windows not covered with mosquito nets.
- Low-quality fruits and vegetables brought into the house.
- Insects are attracted to bright light at the entrance to the house.
Two-tails, or fork-tails (lat. Diplura) (not to be confused with earwigs) are a detachment of hidden-jawed hexapods.
Natural enemies
The two-easted bird has many enemies in nature. Birds readily peck at them - perhaps this is one of the reasons why these creatures are nocturnal. But danger awaits them in the soil too. Shrews and moles willingly feast on two-tailed fish and destroy their clutches.
These creatures are also destroyed by soil insects, for example mole crickets. The predatory larvae of many beetles also destroy two-easted beetles. But these creatures deftly avoid natural enemies, as they quickly move between particles of the earth thanks to three pairs of short but strong legs.
Two-tailed fish can exhibit cannibalism, eating small fellows of their own or other species. This is especially true for predatory representatives of the order.
How to get rid of double-east
These insects are afraid of unpleasant odors, spiders, heat, and high temperatures.
House spiders have long adapted to life in human homes.
Chemical insect control agents:
- aerosol (Dichlorvos, Combat, Tarax, Kwik-byte, Pure lov);
pros : affordable price, high probability of impact;
cons : paralyzing effect, they then come to life if they are not collected and destroyed, only affects adults.
- powders, crayons, gels (Mashenka, dust, Phenaxin, Tiuram):
advantages : low cost, minimal consumption over a large area, long-term impact on the two-way;
cons : not the best effectiveness, high percentage of possible drug poisoning by pets and small children.
- sulfur checkers:
pros : 100% action;
cons : suitable only for summer cottages and garden plots, requires careful preparation.
- fumigator Raptor:
advantages : high efficiency, simplicity and accessibility;
cons : suitable for a small area, causes dizziness and nausea, requires subsequent thorough cleaning, does not affect the offspring of insects.
- specialized disinfectants (AntiZhuk, Fitoverm, Karbofos, Intavir, Bankol, Clean House);
advantages : high efficiency, ability to process plants;
disadvantages : requires long-term ventilation and high-quality cleaning, dangerous to human health if used incorrectly.
Folk remedies:
- Herbs with a pungent odor (tansy, St. John's wort, mint, wormwood, yarrow) can help get rid of bivostok in the house by brewing and treating crevices and cracks with the prepared solution. Remember! Scented herbs take a long time to dissipate and can cause headaches.
- Traps (wet rags, damp newspapers, a small container greased with vegetable oil, a box with slots filled with garbage). Such devices are left overnight, the two-tails get into them at night, and get rid of them in the morning.
- Boiling water. Pour boiling water over homemade traps in the morning; insects cannot tolerate high temperatures.
- Onions and garlic repel parasites. You need to grind it to a paste consistency, add hot water.
- Baits with boric acid (laying boiled chicken egg yolks with boric acid in the favorite habitats of insects. Proportion for preparation: 1 yolk and 50 g of boric acid).
- Horseradish. You need to finely grate the root crop and place odorous baits to repel parasites.
- Petroleum-based liquids (gasoline, kerosene), concentrated bleach solution.
- Laundry soap. Use a spray bottle to spray the areas of occurrence with a highly concentrated solution. Finely grated soap can be added to herbal infusions to improve consistency.
- Balm “Star”. The pungent smell will scare away two-easters. You can use it to treat furniture legs.
- Vacuum cleaner (vacuum regularly in areas of accumulation, discarding disposable bags afterwards).
Chemical control
If there is still a need to use chemical reagents, then insecticides that contain spinosad, a product obtained as a result of the activity of bacteria, are most effective against earwigs. This is the most effective, environmentally friendly product. However, bait containing this substance is often not very effective when there are other food sources that are more attractive to earwigs.
Spinosad-based products can be applied directly to the soil around susceptible plants before pests get to them. They are also used to treat the foundation of a house. Other, more toxic insecticides are also available, including carbaryl, but their use is generally not necessary if the active management described above is in place against earwigs.
In conclusion, it is worth emphasizing that indoors, earwigs can be physically destroyed. However, you should not crush them with your hands - the insect’s body fluids contain substances that have a rather bad odor and are difficult to wash off.
If earwigs are a common problem in your building, you need to inspect your home to understand how they are getting into your home and then seal them tightly. In addition, it is necessary to remove anything unnecessary within the outer perimeter of the building that could provide shelter for insects - ivy on the walls, grass cover, mulch, debris (especially leaves in gutters), wood piles and assorted other junk.
Additionally, you need to keep water and moisture out by repairing gutters and keeping water and sewer pipes from leaking, as well as ensuring proper ventilation.
It is not recommended to use insecticides indoors, as they are not very effective, but are very toxic to humans and domestic animals. Good luck with your earwig control!
How to get rid of parasites in an apartment
In multi-storey buildings, they are most often found on the first floors: humidity and the proximity of the basement play a role.
- Clean up, remove dirty clothes, accumulations of unnecessary things, cleaning rags, etc.
- Ventilate the apartment thoroughly.
- Check the operation of the plumbing and ventilation systems.
- Fix all problems and leaks.
- Carry out general cleaning.
- Pay attention to food storage, the presence of undisposed food scraps and waste accumulations.
- To remove parasites, carefully treat places where insects accumulate, cracks in the floor, and hard-to-reach places in the bathroom and kitchen.
Keep your house clean and insects will not enter it.
How to exterminate two-way in a private house
- Reduce lighting at the entrance.
- Close and caulk all cracks, crevices, holes in the floor and foundation.
- If possible, eliminate sources of dampness; all plants should be approximately 70-80 cm away from the house.
- Check the space under the floor for cleanliness, presence of wet places, and eliminate any defects.
- Treat the basement, foundation, hard-to-reach places in the house, and extensions within a radius of 5 meters with insecticides. The best time to spray chemicals is spring.
- Make sure that there are no animals or people in the house for 3-5 hours.
- Follow preventive measures.
Pest control will help solve the problem with insects.
How to drive two-east from a greenhouse
Two-tailed insects destroy young seedlings, eat the leaves of the shoots, and penetrate the fruits themselves. To combat two-tailed insects in greenhouses and greenhouses, you need to use different methods.
- Dig up the soil in the fall. In this case, the deposited larvae will not hatch, but will freeze.
- Replace all old boards with areas of rot.
- After planting the plants, regularly weed and loosen the soil.
- Plant aromatic herbs with a strong smell (mint, basil)
- Avoid the accumulation of plant debris in and around the greenhouse at any time of the year.
- Avoid keeping the soil too wet and reduce watering as much as possible.
- Ventilate the greenhouse.
- Treat the plants with microbiological preparations (Lepidocide, Bitaxibacillin).
- Use available folk remedies.
- If there are a large number of bivosts, it is not possible to remove them with biological preparations or use insecticides.
- Be sure to spray hard-to-reach areas of the greenhouse with high-quality preparations after harvesting.
Periodic treatment of the greenhouse will help solve the insect problem.
Important! If the measures taken do not bring results, you need to call the sanitary service.
Comments (2)
Kate
07/12/2019 at 01:43 pm |
When used in moderation, it has virtually no effect on the yield. In addition, it can destroy some pests, for example, aphids and spider mites. The alarm should only be sounded during mass reproduction.Answer
Yulia Expert Plodogorod
07/12/2019 at 22:50 |
Hello, Katya! You are absolutely right, if the population of these insects is not too large, there is no need to worry about them. In addition, they occupy a certain place in the garden ecosystem, so their destruction can contribute to the strong development of other, more harmful insects.
But, if the number of such garden inhabitants begins to grow rapidly, it is better to take some measures. In this case, you can get by with deterrent factors instead of destructive ones. Therefore, we recommend using folk remedies.
You can treat plants with onion-garlic infusion. To do this, these plants are taken in equal proportions and crushed to a pulp. In total you will need 50-60 grams. The resulting mixture should be poured with boiling water and left for a day or two.
You can treat not the plants directly, because this is still traumatic for them, but the areas of soil nearby. This should also be done carefully so as not to burn the roots. This method will drive insects away from a place where their presence is undesirable.
If there are, in principle, a lot of such inhabitants on the site, then near places where their presence is not welcome, you can plant wormwood, yarrow or tansy. An infusion can also be prepared from the plants described, if more vigorous measures are required.
Answer
Prevention of the appearance of double-easted
- High-quality ventilation.
- Regular ventilation.
- Timely plumbing repairs.
- Equip all windows with insect screens.
- Reduce humidity at home. In places where condensation accumulates, you can place the most accessible absorbents: cat litter, salt, etc. Avoid drying clothes in the house.
- Cleanliness in the dining area and kitchen. Sealed packaging of products for storage.
- Maintaining cleanliness and order in the premises.
- Use of industrial dehumidifiers.
- Timely waste disposal.
- Cleaning of plant debris around the perimeter of cottages, greenhouses, outbuildings.
- Preventive treatment in the autumn.
- It is better to poison insects in the spring, when their activity is high.
- Do not leave compositions of summer fruits and berries in the public domain.
Install mosquito nets on the windows.
Earwigs and doubletails are different insects. They are often confused due to their similar lifestyle and identical tails. Insects multiply quickly, a huge population will quickly occupy the refrigerator, ruin the harvest, and cause a lot of trouble. To combat double-tailed insects, you need to use a combination of chemical and biological methods.
If you pay special attention to preventive measures, the risk of insects in the house will be reduced to a minimum.
