If you’ve ever gotten too up-close and personal with an earwig, you know they look nasty. But the truth is, earwigs are actually beneficial to your garden. Here’s a rundown of their do-gooder tactics:

They eat dead plant material, breaking it down into humus.

• They prey on aphids, fleas, grubs, and other destructive insects.
• They are among the few garden good guys who prey on fire ants.

Now here’s the bad news: Sometimes earwigs will chew the daylights out of living roots, leaves, and flowers. So if you’re not willing to risk them running amok, loosely roll up several sheets of newspaper, dampen the tube, and set it in the shade. During the day, hordes of earwigs will crawl inside. As evening approaches, before the critters mosey out for dinner, unroll the papers over a tub of soapy water.

In the case of an all-out earwig infestation, let ‘em have it with my Great-Guns Garlic Spray:

Mix 1 tablespoon of garlic oil (1 bulb of garlic, minced, steeped in a cup of oil for a day or two), 3 drops of dishwashing liquid, and 1 quart of water in a blender. Pour the solution into a handheld sprayer bottle, then take aim and fire!

For more secrets, strategies, and solutions for battling garden thugs—or attracting good guys to your turf, check out my Critter Control & Pest Prevention book—FREE for 21 days! It’s filled with 2,193 problem solvers that are guaranteed to put bad guys out of business. For your Free 21-Day Preview, click on the link below: