How to make an Earwig Trap
As a gardener, I am always looking for safe ways to kill insects that I consider undesirable. I rank earwigs very high on that list, so a trap for earwigs would have the added benefit of providing me with a delicious addition to my menu of ant foods as well as get them out of my garden. By only collecting feeder insects from my own property, I'm reasonably certain they will be safe for my ants.
Pictured below is the setup. I used a tin tart shell with the bottom covered with soy sauce, not too much. Then I sprayed a thin film of oil on top with cooking spray (you can pour it on too, I find spray easier) and then set it in soil up to the rim overnight. Next morning, I poured the lot into a sieve and rinsed it under hot tap water to remove the oil and then I froze them. Two traps for two nights and I am still using them as ant food today. Admittedly a great harvest as I did have a serious earwig problem, but my ants really enjoy picking them apart and I get some satisfaction from watching them do it!
How to Make a Fly Trap
In a recent post, AntDrew presented his fly trap, and I would like to further reinforce the effectiveness with which it can catch flies.
I arrived home one day to find a dead baby bird in my driveway that was attracting a lot of Greenbottle Fly attention. I attached a plastic funnel to a plastic bottle with the dead bird inside. Three pieces of masking tape was all I used to attach them, making it easy to separate them for emptying. After a day in the sun, you see the results below. At the end of the day, I placed the trap in a plastic bag sealed with a clothes pin, to avoid any unwanted release of flies into the family freezer, it's not taped that well. Two days of trapping and I have a petri dish half full of frozen flies. I suspect this trap will be just as effective when baited with fruit in order to catch fruit flies.
If you've got an earwig problem in your garden, or something stinky or sweet that seems to be attracting flies, try trapping them to reduce the problem and increase the variety of foods you can offer your ant colonies. A varied diet is highly desirable for a healthy colony.
RPT