Efficient Way to Harvest Earwigs

[DrTacosMD]

Hi All,
Does anyone have any good advice for ways to collect earwigs without getting a lot of dirt/soil/litter?

So far I collect them by just kicking over logs and then scooping the earwigs into a plastic container. The problem is I collect a lot of dirt and soil with the earwigs. I'm also going to try rolling up a newspaper and sticking it between the logs to see if that works.

 

[Mini Meat]

I've had success with the rolled up news paper, stacks of corrugated cardboard and stacks of soiled paper egg cartons.

 

[Sustained]

Do you collect them as treats for your flock? Just curious

 

[DrTacosMD]

Do you collect them as treats for your flock? Just curious

Yup. My chicken love them. Sometimes while I'm scooping up the earwigs I'll have 2 of my buff orpington chicks with me eating any that I miss. I have the earwigs in a plastic container and I'll put 2-4 chicks in there for about 20 min.s to eat the earwigs. Free protein! =]

 

[Mini Meat]

Do you collect them as treats for your flock? Just curious

Yes, I just keep the traps (more like habitats) in different areas of the garden. I usually start checking them about now. Every so often when I am plinking around near one, I'll call the hens and shake a bunch out for them, until one crawls up my arm and I drop the trap and run screaming and suddering. I'm not bug shy but those thing give me the willies.

 

[Sustained]

Excellent idea! I had just never heard of collecting them.

 

[Sustained]

Yes, I just keep the traps (more like habitats) in different areas of the garden. I usually start checking them about now. Every so often when I am plinking around near one, I'll call the hens and shake a bunch out for them, until one crawls up my arm and I drop the trap and run screaming and suddering. I'm not bug shy but those thing give me the willies.

I would be doing the same thing! I like them less than spiders and that's saying a LOT!

 

[DrTacosMD]

Excellent idea! I had just never heard of collecting them.

Yeah, they're definitely worth collecting. My chicks that eat earwigs are growing faster both in feather development and body size.

 

[Mini Meat]

Yeah, they're definitely worth collecting. My chicks that eat earwigs are growing faster both in feather development and body size.

I don't doubt that. I think the may even breed in the traps. I make fairly large ones, and leave them out over winter, come spring and summer, it's a bonanza. A horrifying horrifying bonanza.

 

[Sustained]

I don't doubt that. I think the may even breed in the traps. I make fairly large ones, and leave them out over winter, come spring and summer, it's a bonanza. A horrifying horrifying bonanza. 

Do these traps encourage them not to nest elsewhere? They tend to like my pack patio area so when I saw them I would plunk a hen down next to them and they'd be gone in seconds. At least the ones that were out and about. I can't do that now because my pup thinks chickens are chew toys.