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What would you like to see  Phil The Gardener show you how to do?

A few video tips that are coming to you are:

How to aerate your lawn.
How to change a sprinkler.
How to choose and install a sprinkler nozzle.
How to edge your lawn with a shovel.
How to prune your rosebush.
How to sharpen a mower blade.
Do you have a particular gardening problem you would like to see Phil The Gardener feature?

Leave your idea or problem in the comment box or on this page.

http://philthegardener.com/questions/

Earwigs are a pretty scary sight when you turn over a board or a flower pot and find one of them scooting out from underneath it. Sometimes they get indoors, and they sure scoot around the baseboards. If you squish them a foul smelling yellowish brown liquid emits from scent glands. They are active at night hiding during the daytime. Normally they live outdoors and do not really even try to get indoors.

Earwigs are harmless to humans and animals, but if you handle them carelessly or one gets down your britches it might give you a pinch with its forceps. The name “earwig” came from a European superstition that these insects would crawl in the ears of a sleeping person. Just superstition. They are reddish brown in color with light brown legs and about 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch long. The female will lay 20 to 60 eggs in their burrow during one season. The burrows are called chambers located 2 to 3 inches beneath the soil.

Earwigs do considerable damage by feeding on flowers, vegetables, fruits and other plants. They chew on the leaves, leaving a ragged appearance with small irregular holes in them. Earwigs feed on aphids, mites, fleas, and insect eggs. Earwigs also consume a lot of decomposing organic matter. So in spite of the fact they sometimes are in large populations, earwigs are generally considered a temporary pest.

Natural Control Measures

Earwigs are attracted to lights so you should reduce lighting around doors, windows, and other entry points. Sodium vapor yellow lights are less attractive to insects. Earwigs need moisture. If you reduce moist conditions, around your water spigots, air-conditioning units, and along the foundation, you will discourage them from entering your house. Keep your lawn and garden free of debris and rotting organic matter. Rake up your grass clippings, leaves, weeds and old wood.

Natural Trapping Measures

If you want to trap earwigs, you can give them a place to hide during the day. You can use a cardboard box with holes in the sides near the bottom. Place oatmeal or bran laced with boric acid in the box. You can place burlap bags, canvas, boards, and newspapers in your flower beds and make it is damp under them. Drop the bugs into a jar of soapy water to kill them. Earwigs like beer, place a number of small jars on its side with beer in them. The earwigs will crawl right in and die.

Natural Enemies Of The Earwig

Toads and lizards love earwigs.

The Tachinid fly and the parasitic fly Digonichaeta setipennis attack and kill up to 1/3 of the earwig population each year. Here is a list of plants that attract these earwig killing parasites. You can plant them where you want to control earwigs.

Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria)
Painted daisy (Chrysanthemum coccineum)
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Chemically Controlling Earwigs

Make sure you read the label if you are going to use chemicals to control your earwigs. You need to determine which is best for your conditions, and vegetable restrictions. The best way I would recommend is to apply insecticides as a barrier treatment. These materials can be applied as baits, dust, granules, liquid sprays. You can use Baygon (propoxur), diazinon, Dursban (chlorpyrifos), methoxychlor dust, Sevin (carbaryl), or sodium fluosilicate.

Reminder:

Keep Chemicals Away From Children And Pets. Check The Label.

It is our prayer that everyone have a safe holiday with family and friends.
Summer is here. Amongst the weed pulling and watering you need to make sure you work on these tasks in the early morning or early evening when the temperature is not so hot.

LAWN CARE

>Fertilize your lawn with an application of fertilizer this month. Make sure you water it into the soil after you have removed any overspread from your walks and patios.

> Remember to water in the morning to prevent disease problems. How do you know how much water you have applied? You can place several small containers with a flat bottom (such as an old margarine tub or tuna can) in your garden beds and lawn. Then measure the amount of water in the cans.

GARDEN CARE

> Your flowers, shrubs, trees, and vegetables need at least an inch of water a week. Pots, especially will dry out quickly in the heat. Check your containers daily.

> Make sure your lawn or plants are well watered before applying fertilizers, fungicides, or insecticides. Apply them in the early morning before the temperature reaches 80 degrees. This will allow the plants to dry before the temperature reaches 85 degrees. It is best not to spray when the temperature is above 85 degrees or if the pants are stressed from lack of water.

> Continue to deadhead annuals and perennials, this will encourage a longer bloom.

> Quit pinching back your mums, mid-July. Flowers will begin to bloom about 5 or 6 weeks after your last pinching. If you haven’t been pinching your mums, cut them back by half in early July and fertilize them. This will help your mums to grow bushier and delay bloom until later in the summer.

> You can still plant summer blooming perennials and shrubs, just make sure you give them a little extra TLC. Do your shopping at Gurneys while it is hot. Planting in the evening or on a cloudy day when the temperatures are cooler gives the plant a better chance to settle in before being hit with the heat and light of a typical July day. Make sure you keep newly planted flowers and shrubs well watered. Drought tolerant plants need to be treated the same way until they get established.

For more info about the chigger go to the pest page above.

Here’s a thought I had about chiggers. I have never heard of anyone finding chiggers west of the Rockies and I can’t find any references that would attest to West Coast chiggers. If anyone has I’d really appreciate you dropping me a note.

Do a physical inspection of your home by walking around it with a pen and notepad. Jot down notes of what needs to be repaired or replaced to create a pest barrier: caulk cracks and windows, repair broken window and door screens, check doors and windows that they shut tightly. Make sure your screen door will close quick enough after you walk thru so you don’t have unwanted guests.

Food spills, crumbs, and left over pet food should be cleaned up immediately. Washing and drying your dishes, sweeping behind your appliances, and storing food in sealed containers will discourage the invasion of vermin such as rodents, ants, and cockroaches.

For that renegade bug that gets by all of your industrious efforts to thwart their invasion a swatter or trap will make quick disposal of him. If insects get into stored food seal in plastic and put in the freezer. If all else fails you can purchase pesticides at your local Home Depot Garden Department. For an infestation of an insect you need to choose the correct pesticide for the problem. Contact a qualified person to help you choose the correct product to solve your problem. If you are unsure of the pest identification send me a digital picture, write to me and I will help you identify the problem, then point you to the correct solution.

Pest control can be a little tricky in your lawn. Mowing on a weekly basis and regular fertilization with the proper fertilizer for the season will help keep the grass healthy. Healthy grass is a strong deterrant to weeds. Hand weeding if you have time is best for the environment. If time is of the essence then Home Depot Garden Center can be your friend. I caution you to be careful about pesticides, improper use will not only control your pests, but can be harmful to good bugs like lacewings, ladybugs, antlion (ladybug larvae), and praying mantis.

Best Wishes and Happy Gardening.
Phil Knaus
http://www.philthegardener.com

Gophers can be controlled by registered Vertebrate Pest Control operators. If you are looking for a natural repellant send me an email or post your request.

Phil

What is your most pressing question that you have about your garden or landscape?