Question
Something is eating my garden. HELP! At first I thought it was snails because there were quite a few holes in the leaves of my beans and squash. Now, there are just skeleton leaves left of half my garden. I have treated for snails with PAX and for other insects with Seven. I have looked for squash bugs but to no avail. I have seen a great many ants and earwigs. Oh, and my tomatoes seem fine. Any tips?
Answer(s)
Earwigs can and will eat just about everything in the garden but they are very hard to control with chemical insecticides. To discourage earwigs let the soil dry out in between watering. If you use mulch around your plants this method may not be as effective because the earwigs can hide out in it. Another method to control earwigs is to fold together several sheets of newspapers together and spray them with enough water so they are damp. In the evening place the newspapers out in your garden. In the morning collect the newspapers and discard the earwigs. Below is a link with more information on earwigs.
http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=8717
Ants do not cause significant injury to landscape plants. Some species like sweets, while others like oils and meat products like pet food.
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