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Earwigs in NestboxesIn addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: Predators and Problems On The Bluebird Trail Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 15:03:36 -0700 Wendy Guglieri Greetings all: Just returned from monitoring my 15 box trail on a golf course in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Out of 6 completed WEstern BLuebird nests, 4 have eggs, 2 of those had incubating females in the nests. 3 other partial WEBL nests. No HOuse SParrows! But there are earwigs! 2 unoccupied nests had major earwig nests - these I cleaned out well, and propped the doors open, hoping to drive them elsewhere. However, with the one that I did that to 10 days ago, the infernal critters had built their nest (earwigs, that is) on the top of the propped-open door. So the ones I left open today have the doors only half-way open. I will return as soon as possible and spray them with bleach solution and leave them open. (No - I wasn't as prepared as I thought). The real problem - in 4 of the completed nests there were earwigs. They were most prominent (large nests of them) at the bottom of the nest, but also crawling through the nesting material itself. This was the case in the nests of the 2 incubating females. One was so badly infested that when I opened the door, the earwigs - dozens of them - came tumbling out. A very large number of those tumbled down the end of my long-sleeved T-shirt, but that's another story. (A couple of the local golfers will probably be telling that one around the club-house for awhile!) At this nest (the female was incubating), I took the chance of removing the female, gently taking the nest out to see how bad things were really were. The entire bottom of the nestbox was swarming with earwigs! I cleaned them out as best I could (trying to capture them in my plastic bag and removing them from the site). Replaced the nest and the female immediately returned and stayed. So what to do? I can't very well spray anything at all in or around the nestbox with an incubating female. What will the earwigs actually do (if anything) to the female, and most importantly, to the nestlings once they hatch? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to take care of the matter as soon as possible! HELP! Wendy Guglieri
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 21:56:24 -0500 Earwigs are generally creatures found in mulch, beneath boards lying on the ground and such. They are part of Nature's crew to recycle plant material. Although their pinchers at the base of their tails may seem quite threatening, they really cannot inflict a painful bite. I would be suspicious of a wet nest bottom. Is this nestbox being drenched by irrigation water? If the nestbox is pole mounted, the earwigs are most likely climbing up the pole and accessing the nest. Use a band of heavy grease or the product called "Tanglefoot" on the nestbox pole to keep the insects from crawling up into the nestbox. Earwigs will eat plant material and catch and eat some insects like aphids. I am not aware of them being a predator to baby birds. I would check this nestbox again in the morning to see if it is getting sprayed with irrigation water, and work on creating a band around the mounting pole which the crawling insects could not cross. Fread J. Loane
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 22:27:11 -0700 Wendy: I've encountered many nests just like yours--with lots of earwigs in the material. I've never seen that there is any harm from it whatsoever. Try just leaving the earwigs in the nests--it has always worked for me. And the parents have to be eating some of them: have you ever watched the adults go after the earwigs when you rake them out of a box? They like 'em. Earwigs are herbivorous, nocturnal, and they hide in the boxes by day. They aren't a threat at all. K. Putman, Yuba City, CA
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 22:44:16 -0700 Wendy Guglieri From: Fread Loane I would be suspicious of a wet nest bottom. Is this nestbox being drenched by irrigation water? Fred: No, it is not. We are talking about 5 separate nestboxes, all with some amount of earwig infestation, the majority at least moderately heavy. The boxes themselves are not getting wet, but I do believe that it is the excess moisture on the entire grounds (and surrounding trees) that attracts the earwigs. I can't very well change the fact that these folks do a LOT of watering. The golf course greens had not been kept up too well, it seems, and the new management is working very hard to restore the grounds to the lush greenness that one excepts in a golf course. wg
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 23:08:16 -0700 Wendy Guglieri from Kevin Putnam, Yuba City, Ca: I've encountered many nests just like yours--with lots of earwigs in the material. I've never seen that there is any harm from it whatsoever. Try just leaving the earwigs in the nests--it has always worked for me. Kevin: After the initial - how can I say it? - "repulsion" - to the sheer amount of earwigs (I don't "do" insects well!), not to mention the partial stripdown that I performed when dozens of them tumbled down my sleeves and into my overalls, I did begin to wonder if the earwigs were actually BOTHERING the birds, or were they only bothering ME. The female WEBL seemed quite cozy incubating her eggs, which were nice and warm. The nest seemed in good order, other than the earwigs. So I suppose my REAL question is: Will the earwigs bother the female and nestlings, or can they live just fine - both species - in rather separate parts of the nest? The earwigs are mostly at the bottom (under) the nest. The birds are pretty much at the top of the nest. If the earwigs prove to be no harm to the birds - then I will just let them be. I do believe, however, that I'll wear short sleeves next time, and be a bit more wary when opening ANY nest! Wendy
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2000 03:40:42 -0700 I don't think you need to do anything. Earwigs don't hurt anything, and the bluebirds should eat them. Nicholas ...
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2000 09:34:19 -0700 Wendy The earwigs do not seem to affect nest success, and the chicks and adults do not feed on them. They can be disgustingly abundant, and one wonders how the bluebirds tolerate them. And it takes a lot of biologist in me not to flail around trying to rid of dozens of earwigs crawling on my hand and arm. I have heard that the earwigs have some sort of noxious scent that repels most birds from eating them, but I have seen no published, peer review work on the subject.
Walt "The best way to learn something is to teach it" ...
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 12:00:14 -0700 Vishnu - Ukiah,CA - 120 miles north of SF Two thoughts (both unproven) on earwig control for nestboxes. 1) The commercial preparation "Tanglefoot" is very effective as an ant barrier in my experience. If smeared around the lower part of a nest box pole I bet it would also deter earwigs from gaining entry to the box. 2) I have personally seen hundreds of earwigs instantaneouly flee from a very, very dilute soution of "Simple Green" when sprayed on a row of leafy vegetables. The effect lasted for several days. The stuff is supposed to be non-toxic but I WOULD NOT use it on the nest or even nest box itself but rather I would spray it full strength around the base of the support pole. Both of these methods assume that the nest box is free of eawigs at the time of application. Otherwise you'd have the critters trapped inside. V.
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 12:23:11 -0400 (EDT) Organic gardener's remedy for earwig control:
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2000 13:35:38 -0400 On the subject of pests in the nestboxes. We have two houses, one currently occupied by a pair of bluebirds and the other isn't occupied yet, but a house sparrow is trying to move in (no we haven't trapped him yet). The empty house has the front door which slides down to open it. When we went to check the inside of the empty boxes we noticed that earwigs were "residing" in the groove where the door slides up. Has anyone else had problems with earwigs in their houses - I notice some
postings on ants - just wondering if these earwigs will hurt the bluebirds if
they happen to get in there. Both our houses are mounted on 3/4" steel pipe
about 5' off the ground. Will greasing the pole work for the earwigs like the
ants? Thanks!
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2000 14:10:53 -0700 Greetings all: Recently someone sent a post to the List inquiring about how best to control earwigs in nestboxes. At the beginning of the nesting season, I posed the same question, and received numerous replies, including one from one of the entomologists on this List, Dr. Walter Sakai. I've learned a lot about earwigs and their control, so thought I'd post my findings. First of all, even a large infestation of earwigs occurring in the nest of a bird will not adversely effect the birds in any way. Earwigs are vegetarians, and will not harm birds, including nestlings. I have successfully fledged 2 clutches of WEstern BLuebirds from nests heavily infested with earwigs. However, birds will NOT build a nest in a box which has an earwig "nest" in it PRIOR to the bird's nestbuilding. The trail that has plagued me with earwig problems is a 14 box trail that I have on a golf course. Because of the abundant watering, the earwigs crawl up into the nestbox, where it is dark and dry. There are few minor infestations. Earwig nests usually contain dozens to hundred of individuals. If your boxes are pole-mounted, I'm quite sure that the product "Tanglefoot" applied to the base of the pole will prevent the earwigs from entering the box. My boxes, however, are tree-mounted. Using Tanglefoot around the base of sometimes very large trees is not an option. (PLEASE - no criticisms - this method works quite well in my neck of the woods, and most of us around here mount on trees). It is only when a problem occurs that many of us switch to pole-mounted or hanging boxes. Most of my 14 boxes have remained empty except for earwig nests up until this time. Before re-mounting all the boxes to poles, I thought I'd try a suggestion from A Very Learned Colleague. Knowing nothing about his product that was suggested, I did a bit of research, and finally felt comfortable in giving it a try. The wonder product? Diatomaceous Earth (DE). DE is the remains of microscopic single-celled phytoplankton called diatoms which once inhabited the oceans of the Western US and elsewhere. As living plants, diatoms weave microscopic shells from silica that is extracted from the water. As the die, deposits are formed and then fossilized. (DE is approximately 85% silica) The material is mined, then ground and screened to various grades. Crushed to a fine powder, the particles of DE observed through a microscope resemble bits of broken glass. DE is used in many products, from tooth paste to swimming pool and aquarium filters. One of the many uses for DE is as an insecticide. The insecticidal quality is due to the razor sharp edges of the diatom remains. When DE comes into contact with insects, the sharp edges act as razors, lacerating the waxy exoskeleton of the insects. The powder then absorbs the body fluids causing death from dehydration. It is even fed to animals as 1% to 2% of their food, and controls internal parasites. Ground DE can be purchased at many plant nurseries and feed stores, and is inexpensive. The 1.5 lb. box that I purchased will likely last a lifetime, and cost less than $10. So, after much research, I tried it. I started with 5 nestboxes, first brushing out the hundred of earwigs, then applying a small (you don't need much) amount of DE powder to the floor of the nestbox. I returned 5 days later to find 5 WEBL nests in various stages of completion! These were boxes that have had NO nesting attempts due to earwig infestation until now. As stated earlier, earwigs will not harm the birds, so once nesting is well under way, I doubt that I'll use it, unless the infestation is unusually large. The earwigs bother ME, not the birds. To tell the truth, I've become quite used to them. I must say that I now open my side-opening boxes VERY carefully, as the critters seem to congregate on the side of the boxes. If you aren't careful when opening an earwig-infested box, you end up with earwigs down your sleeve - not pleasant! Interestingly enough, Terry Whitworth told me the other day that he had recently examined a nest sent to him with DE sprinkled on the bottom, and found several blowfly pupae. Perhaps the larvae did not drop to the actual nestbox bottom, therefore not actually coming into contact with the material? The only danger to humans with the use of DE is by breathing large amounts of it. I carry a mask to use in case it is a windy day. I will be monitoring my trail on Thursday, and will update you on the results. Wendy Guglieri
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 13:43:50 -0700 OK, this may be spelled wrong, but this area has a major problem with Earwigs- a black-brown bug with pinchers that gets into wood structures (fences, nest boxes etc.) as well as many other outside things - like your clothes on the line and the clothes pin bag. I don't know what kind of damage they could do to bird nests, but I prefer not to find out. They're all over the inside of my boxes. What can I safely use to get rid of them? Cinda from Shippensburg,Pa. ----- Original Message ----- ... Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 14:14:50 -0400 Cinda, et al, I don't believe that Earwigs can do any particular harm to the Bluebirds, their houses, their young, or their eggs. They're just kind of unpleasant to have around. I'm sure that a severe infestation might prevent birds from nesting at all. I'd go for a second opinion, though, or a third, or a fourth. When I have them, - and I haven't lately, - I use that spray they sell for canary cages. I think it's called pyrethrum, and it's organic, i.e. it's made from the dried flower-heads of chrysanthemums. It seems to do the job, and it doesn't affect the birds in any noticeable way. Short term, I just scrape the Earwigs out with my hive-tool. I don't spray the stuff right on the nest and its occupants. That's tempting Fate. I remove the nest carefully, (hive-tool again) clean and spray the house, and replace everything quickly. Easy job. Bruce Burdett, SW NH blueburd"at"srnet.com Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 18:43:08 -0000 Cinda and Bruce, We have a problem with earwigs, and this is what we do to stop them. We buy a thing called earwig destroyer in pellet form. We get an empty plastic bottle with a lid, cut a little hole in the bottom. Sit the bottle up, and cut a hole just before the underneath part of the bottle, about the size of a pencil eraser. This helps control earwigs, and children and animals cannot get at the pellets. I place the bottle at the bottom of my poles, which prevents earwigs, some not all, from getting to the nest. The birds don’t seem to bother with it, but if anyone thinks this is a wrong thing to do let me know. Kristi -----Original Message----- ... Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 13:20:09 -0700 Dear Cinda and friends, Sorry I haven't been responding as much as I would like. I figured that I would be service my BB community better if I kept busy building nesting boxes and installing them in the vineyards. The temperatures out here were very hot for a few days about 100 to 106 degrees. I was a little concerned for the BBs, but we do get cool breezes in the afternoon from the coast and the weather is starting to cool off now. When I first got into Bluebirding I had the same challenges with earwigs, so I went straight to my bird consultant Sandy Etchell at CDF and asked her the same question. Sandy's response was to "Just leave them along because they are food for the Bluebirds". Well, I took her advice, still have earwigs in some of my nesting boxes and the Bluebirds are still there doing their thing raising their broods. In fact my oldest nesting box which generate the largest broods (5 baby BB on average) also has the largest earwig population. Yes, earwigs are horrid, look worse that they really are, but earwigs are just apart of nature and are no big deal in my opinion. However, if you absolutely positively have to get rid of them, then I have an answer for you. Go to your local plant nursery or farm supply and ask for a product called "Tangle Foot". I use this product on our fruit trees and it's fantastic. It will work for your nesting boxes too and here's how it works (this method will work for ants, beetles and any insect that walks or crawls, but not flying insects). Clear away anything that touches the mounting pole and clear out the nesting box of earwigs**. On the mounting pole (at the base or below the nesting box) wrap a small area of the pole with green nursery tape and secure it so it will not unravel. Then use a stick to apply the "Tangle Foot" ("Tangle Foot" is very stick stuff and hard to get off your hands) to the tape all the way around the tape. You have now effectively cut off the nesting box to all walking or crawling insects. You can replace the old "Tangle Foot" with fresh "Tangle Foot" by simple cutting away the old green nursery tape and to reapply a fresh batch. If you use U-Bars (as I do) you will need to plug up the gaps and cover If your nesting boxes are mounted on fence posts or trees then the above will still work, but insects will crawl on wire, and branches that cross to other trees etc. I would recommend that you mount your nesting boxes on 6 foot U-Bars (sells for $2.88 ea. at Home Depot) or electrical conduit to control the situation more efficiently. **One challenge would be on how to get rid of the earwigs once they are in the nest that has eggs or baby BBs. Try this trick before disturbing the nest. Earwigs are nocturnal. They hold up in the nest boxes during the day and will venture out at night looking for food. Here is a trick I learned from my old man and I call it the "Ambush!" The "Ambush" works great for snails too, but uses a different technique Do all the prep work during the day, but do not apply the "Tangle Foot". Now here comes the hard part. You have to get up really early in the morning about 3 AM as the earwigs are feeding and away from the nesting boxes. Then you go out, apply the "Tangle Foot" to your mounting poles and go back to bed. When the sun starts to break and the earwigs start to head for home, but they are blocked by a wall of "Tangle Foot"! Wow! Now you may have some residual earwigs that stayed in the nest, but hopefully you have knocked the bulk of them down and you'll be able to eliminate the rest of them entirely when you clean our your nesting box after the BBs have fledged. After that the rest is maintenance. I hope this works out for you and let me know the results. Happy Bluebird Trails To You, "Cinda J. Salisbury" wrote: OK, this may be spelled wrong, but this area has a major problem with ... (Note: the rest of this thread moved to Diatomaceous Earth) |
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