Double-tailed insects and earwigs: what they eat and what to be afraid of, how they reproduce, how to get rid of them in a private house, in a greenhouse, in a country house, in an apartment

Earwigs are one of the most easily recognized insect pests by gardeners and gardeners. Although this type of insect is not considered a pest in the general sense of the word, attacks on cultivated plants, especially at their early stages of growth, are possible, which often causes many problems.

The topic of our article today is how to get rid of two-worts in seedlings - a question that is often asked by beginning amateur gardeners who are faced with the damage caused by these insects. Before listing the most effective ways to help protect seedlings from two-easted insects, we would like to briefly remind our readers what these insects are.

Many of us consider them dangerous and even poisonous, all thanks to their terrifying appearance, and, apparently, there are reasons for this. However, it must be remembered that earwigs do not only cause harm, for example, they are voracious eaters of aphids.

Description of two-whiskers and earwigs

Diplura are arthropod wingless insects, recently introduced into a separate independent class, which includes subspecies such as projapygidae, campodeidae, and Japygidae. Distributed mainly in the tropical and subtropical parts of the planet. In Russia there are 20-30 species of Campodeidae, in the southern part of the country Japygidae. The average lifespan of the double-tailed insect is 12 months.

Two-tailed insects are small insects.

Appearance: body length 5-7 mm (in the class there are specimens 50 mm long), 6 pairs of legs, absence of eyes, elongated body, rounded head with antennae, the extreme appendages of the last abdominal segment are forked, claw-shaped, or elongated, have the ability to rapid recovery, the oral cavity is hidden inside the head, the color is light.

They choose a habitat with high humidity: rotten trees, forest litter, damp soil, large anthills, plant debris, greenhouses, compost pits.

Their body length is 2-5 mm. There are also larger individuals, the body length of which is 50 mm.

Food: remains of other animals, insects, plant waste, leftover food, fruits, vegetables, shoots and leaves of plants.

Reproduction: the female lays eggs in the soil. Fertilization occurs when the spermatophore enters the female's genital opening. Spermatophores are very tenacious; they can stand on a thin but stable stalk for up to two days, waiting for a passing female. Cubs hatched from eggs differ from adult two-tailed birds only in their smaller size and the absence of genitalia.

They easily enter the house through cracks, open doors and windows.

The common earwig (Dermaptera) is an insect from the order Leatheroptera. There are 1,200 species, distributed on almost all continents.

This is interesting! The name earwig appeared, according to one opinion, from the legend that an insect can penetrate the brain through the ear and destroy it, according to another opinion, the name comes from the word ear-wing (English). The shape of the insect's wing is similar to the auricle.

Earwigs, like all household insects, spread infections and make people's lives worse.
Appearance: flexible, curved body, consisting of 10 segments and a dense chitinous cover. Size: 10-16 mm. The color is brown with a brown or resinous tint. The elongated, jointed body ends with cerci, reminiscent of claws in shape. Three pairs of legs are yellow. There are no eyes. Long multi-segmented mustaches that replace the organs of touch. The gnawing opening of the mouth protrudes forward. Characteristic feature: leathery wings. The anterior transverse ones are compact in size, the rear fan-shaped ones cover the body to the middle of the abdomen. The earwig doesn't fly. With the help of its wings, it can sometimes make long jumps and flights.

It is quite difficult to fight them - they hide well during the daytime.

Habitat: compost pits, heaps of natural garbage, utility rooms with high humidity, old trees, a bathhouse, an outdoor shower, a flower bed.

Food: other insects, rotting crops, leftover food, leaves of garden and garden plants in the country.

Reproduction: incomplete transformation. Mating lasts 6-8 hours. The female climbs and lays eggs in a specially dug hole in the ground. She helps the larvae hatch by gnawing holes in the eggs, then licks them and warms them with her warmth.

Living in a greenhouse or greenhouse in large numbers, these two-tailed creatures cause a lot of problems for those who love gardening.

Interesting! It is especially noteworthy that the caring female does not abandon the larvae until they turn into adult insects.

Other names: European earwig, tick (Forficula auricularia), pincer, two-tailed.

Insects are similar in sting shape, type of nutrition and lifestyle. These predators go hunting at night; during the day they hide in shaded, damp places.

When a person encounters a two-tailed dog, he immediately has associations with painful bites.

How dangerous are these insects?

First, let's decide whether we need to be afraid of double-easted animals, whether they bite, or whether they can cause any harm to a person.

In general, these insects are harmless and non-venomous. However, they can still cause trouble because:

They bite. Not as aggressive as mosquitoes or flies, because they don’t do it on purpose. A bite is possible only in case of accidental contact with a person as a method of self-defense. It is quite painful, and in people susceptible to allergies, it can cause unpleasant reactions - itching, pain, redness and swelling of the skin.

Bite mark

They can get into your ear. This also happens very rarely. In addition, you should not believe fairy tales that this insect with a long tail can gnaw through the membrane and get into the brain. But the sensations are extremely unpleasant, and it is difficult to get it out of there.

An insect can even get into your ear

They cause disgust. And some people (especially impressionable women and children) can be driven to hysterics. However, like cockroaches, wood lice, spiders and other arthropods.

They spoil the harvest. Because they happily settle in damp beds in the shade of fruit crops.

Favorite delicacy of the dvuhostok - flower petals

So decide for yourself whether this small living creature is dangerous for humans, or whether you are calm about such a neighborhood. If not, now you will find out how to prevent it.

The difference between the two-tailed earwig and the earwig

Insects belong to different families.
Body color and size.
Earwigs have wings.

Double-tailed animals are unpleasant to humans due to their appearance. They carry various infections on their feet. They do not pose a threat to human life, but an adult pincer can bite noticeably without deeply piercing the skin with its claws.

Doubletails are much smaller than earwigs, namely from 2 to 5 mm in length, in the rarest cases up to 5 cm.

Attention! The venom injected during the bite is not poisonous. But cases of allergies are possible: a painful blister appears at the site of the bite. You must seek medical help!

Two-tails in small quantities are beneficial. For example, they destroy aphids in the garden. But due to rapid reproduction, all planted crops begin to spoil.

According to modern ideas, the first two-tails arose in the late Carboniferous period.

Double-tailed fish in the country

In addition to an apartment or house, this insect can also settle in a country house (in the soil). In the garden it harms plants , in hives it eats honey and harms the harvest. More often, the two-tailed one can be seen in the garden or vegetable garden after rain. She can get into the room together with the brought vegetables or fruits that she likes to feast on.

How to get rid of double-east?

It is quite difficult to get rid of this pest, because many chemicals have no effect on it. Therefore, attention should be directed to prevention . To do this you should:

keep the area clean, do not accumulate fallen leaves, dry branches, broken trees;
dig up the ground in the fall;
make traps from damp rags;
treat the soil with Karbofos or other similar modern preparations;
clean the utility rooms, remove unnecessary items, ventilate and dry the room.

Individuals can be removed manually if their accumulation is excessively high. Collected insects must be removed by burning, and the surface of the area must be treated with a concentrated infusion of fragrant herbs or onions and garlic.

If you don’t want to prepare decoctions, you can get rid of insects using a ready-made solution. The pharmacy sells an infusion of wormwood in alcohol without a prescription. It must be sprayed with a spray bottle throughout the space. In a few days, the two-tailed birds will leave your home.

If you can’t deal with the double-tails on your own, then the house must be completely renovated with mandatory disinfection. But you can also turn to a special sanitary service for help.

How do two-tails get into housing?

There is high humidity in the room (Causes: the room is poorly heated, there was a flood, poor ventilation).
Dampness after leaks, moisture accumulation due to non-functional ventilation.
Presence of cracks in the floor and foundation.
Unclosed entrance doors.
Cluttering with old unnecessary things.
Repair (penetration through riser, basement).
Moving from forests and countryside on clothing and animal fur.
Open windows not covered with mosquito nets.
Low-quality fruits and vegetables brought into the house.
Insects are attracted to bright light at the entrance to the house.

Two-tails, or fork-tails (lat. Diplura) (not to be confused with earwigs) are a detachment of hidden-jawed hexapods.

The use of folk methods of combating double-tailed

You should try to scare off the double-easted insect with onion and garlic aroma, to which the insect is too susceptible. To prepare the product, you need to mix equal amounts of garlic and onion juice, and dilute the resulting mixture with water in a ratio of 1 to 5.

It is recommended to use the resulting liquid for spraying the room. As practice shows, after 1–2 days there will be no trace left of the two-tailed substance. The only negative side of this method is the unpleasant odor, which will not be eliminated from the room for a long time.

Double tails also react negatively to boric acid, which must be mixed in a volume of 50 g with the yolk, and the resulting mixture used to form balls. The bait should be placed in the rooms where the insect has appeared.

The double-tailed plant can be repelled by the rich smell of another remedy, in the preparation of which it is recommended to use dried leaves of wormwood and tansy. The ingredients can be easily found in every pharmacy, as they are regularly used for medicinal purposes.

The components must be mixed in equal quantities, add water in a ratio of 2 tbsp. spoons of raw materials per 1 liter of liquid, and then bring to a boil.

The resulting decoction should be used to wash floors, walls and window sills indoors. This method will help to significantly reduce the number of insects, but one procedure is often not enough.

“Lazy” methods of control include the use of ready-made alcohol tincture of wormwood, which is also sold in pharmacies. The product must be regularly sprayed around the house until the two-wort is completely exterminated.

How to get rid of double-east

These insects are afraid of unpleasant odors, spiders, heat, and high temperatures.

House spiders have long adapted to life in human homes.

Chemical insect control agents:

aerosol (Dichlorvos, Combat, Tarax, Kwik-byte, Pure lov);

pros : affordable price, high probability of impact;

cons : paralyzing effect, they then come to life if they are not collected and destroyed, only affects adults.

powders, crayons, gels (Mashenka, dust, Phenaxin, Tiuram):

advantages : low cost, minimal consumption over a large area, long-term impact on the two-way;

cons : not the best effectiveness, high percentage of possible drug poisoning by pets and small children.

sulfur checkers:

pros : 100% action;

cons : suitable only for summer cottages and garden plots, requires careful preparation.

fumigator Raptor:

advantages : high efficiency, simplicity and accessibility;

cons : suitable for a small area, causes dizziness and nausea, requires subsequent thorough cleaning, does not affect the offspring of insects.

specialized disinfectants (AntiZhuk, Fitoverm, Karbofos, Intavir, Bankol, Clean House);

advantages : high efficiency, ability to process plants;

disadvantages : requires long-term ventilation and high-quality cleaning, dangerous to human health if used incorrectly.

Folk remedies:

Herbs with a pungent odor (tansy, St. John's wort, mint, wormwood, yarrow) can help get rid of bivostok in the house by brewing and treating crevices and cracks with the prepared solution. Remember! Scented herbs take a long time to dissipate and can cause headaches.
Traps (wet rags, damp newspapers, a small container greased with vegetable oil, a box with slots filled with garbage). Such devices are left overnight, the two-tails get into them at night, and get rid of them in the morning.
Boiling water. Pour boiling water over homemade traps in the morning; insects cannot tolerate high temperatures.
Onions and garlic repel parasites. You need to grind it to a paste consistency, add hot water.
Baits with boric acid (laying boiled chicken egg yolks with boric acid in the favorite habitats of insects. Proportion for preparation: 1 yolk and 50 g of boric acid).
Horseradish. You need to finely grate the root crop and place odorous baits to repel parasites.
Petroleum-based liquids (gasoline, kerosene), concentrated bleach solution.
Laundry soap. Use a spray bottle to spray the areas of occurrence with a highly concentrated solution. Finely grated soap can be added to herbal infusions to improve consistency.
Balm “Star”. The pungent smell will scare away two-easters. You can use it to treat furniture legs.
Vacuum cleaner (vacuum regularly in areas of accumulation, discarding disposable bags afterwards).

Traps

Because earwigs move singly or in pairs, trapping is a key element of an earwig control program. For this purpose, you can use a trap that has never failed in this case. Such means should be placed as close as possible to the trays with seedlings, so that even the most resistant earwig to the tempting bait will not pass by.

One of the most interesting recipes is a flat container with low sides filled with fish oil. There is no need to run to the pharmacy for this; you can use the liquid contents from regular canned food in oil. Fish oil is very attractive to earwigs, especially if you add vegetable oil and lard to it. In an attempt to taste this delicacy, the earwig falls into the fatty mass and can no longer get out of there.

Another common type of trap would be damp rolled newspaper, corrugated cardboard, bamboo tubes, or a short piece of hose. You should also place these traps near the seedlings overnight. These procedures should be continued every day until no more insects are found in the traps.

An easier way would be to use regular adhesive tapes, which are used to catch flies. Such tapes must be laid with the adhesive surface up around the trays with seedlings along their entire perimeter, leaving no free spaces for penetration.

People often ask what can be used to water seedlings to prevent earwigs from attacking them. Our answer is very simple - nothing.

You shouldn’t poison your plants and yourself with chemicals, especially if traps like adhesive tape are enough to prevent pest attacks.

In addition, chemical insecticides have a very indirect effect on earwigs. For example, boric acid or insecticidal chalk are often used against them.

The insect will, of course, die, but this will happen much later after it has already damaged the seedlings. Such chemical means of controlling earwig populations are good in open ground conditions, when the harmful effects of insects are not so noticeable and damaging.

How to get rid of parasites in an apartment

In multi-storey buildings, they are most often found on the first floors: humidity and the proximity of the basement play a role.

Clean up, remove dirty clothes, accumulations of unnecessary things, cleaning rags, etc.
Ventilate the apartment thoroughly.
Check the operation of the plumbing and ventilation systems.
Fix all problems and leaks.
Carry out general cleaning.
Pay attention to food storage, the presence of undisposed food scraps and waste accumulations.
To remove parasites, carefully treat places where insects accumulate, cracks in the floor, and hard-to-reach places in the bathroom and kitchen.

Keep your house clean and insects will not enter it.

What do earwigs eat?

The doubletail feeds mainly on rotten or bitten by other insects and fruits pecked by birds. She cannot always bite through the peel, so she chooses fruits with flaws

It does not ignore vegetables; it can cause damage to the harvest of tomatoes, cabbage, and peas.

This pest is omnivorous, and some of its taste preferences benefit gardeners - the earwig feeds on aphids and spider mites, but it also causes a lot of harm. It is better if it is not on the site, but you can fight aphids in other ways.

Beekeepers need to be especially attentive to the appearance of double-tailed grass on the site. The earwig loves honey and happily eats bee products.

In dry summers, flower crops also suffer from bivostok. Among the fruits, the insect prefers peaches, apricots, and black currants. It can be seen in bunches of grapes.

How to exterminate two-way in a private house

Reduce lighting at the entrance.
Close and caulk all cracks, crevices, holes in the floor and foundation.
If possible, eliminate sources of dampness; all plants should be approximately 70-80 cm away from the house.
Check the space under the floor for cleanliness, presence of wet places, and eliminate any defects.
Treat the basement, foundation, hard-to-reach places in the house, and extensions within a radius of 5 meters with insecticides. The best time to spray chemicals is spring.
Make sure that there are no animals or people in the house for 3-5 hours.
Follow preventive measures.

Pest control will help solve the problem with insects.

Preventive actions

To prevent a house or apartment from becoming attractive to pests, you need to perform simple prevention of their occurrence:

promptly detect and repair sewer and water supply leaks;
seal cracks in the foundation of a private house;
seal window frames and doors;
in the summer, install mosquito nets on open windows;
use plastic containers for seedlings or thoroughly treat wooden ones with poisons before bringing them into the house;
Disinfect the soil for indoor flowers and seedlings by steaming.

How to drive two-east from a greenhouse

Two-tailed insects destroy young seedlings, eat the leaves of the shoots, and penetrate the fruits themselves. To combat two-tailed insects in greenhouses and greenhouses, you need to use different methods.

Dig up the soil in the fall. In this case, the deposited larvae will not hatch, but will freeze.
Replace all old boards with areas of rot.
After planting the plants, regularly weed and loosen the soil.
Plant aromatic herbs with a strong smell (mint, basil)
Avoid the accumulation of plant debris in and around the greenhouse at any time of the year.
Avoid keeping the soil too wet and reduce watering as much as possible.
Ventilate the greenhouse.
Treat the plants with microbiological preparations (Lepidocide, Bitaxibacillin).
Use available folk remedies.
If there are a large number of bivosts, it is not possible to remove them with biological preparations or use insecticides.
Be sure to spray hard-to-reach areas of the greenhouse with high-quality preparations after harvesting.

Periodic treatment of the greenhouse will help solve the insect problem.

Important! If the measures taken do not bring results, you need to call the sanitary service.

Chemical control

If there is still a need to use chemical reagents, then insecticides that contain spinosad, a product obtained as a result of the activity of bacteria, are most effective against earwigs. This is the most effective, environmentally friendly product. However, bait containing this substance is often not very effective when there are other food sources that are more attractive to earwigs.

Spinosad-based products can be applied directly to the soil around susceptible plants before pests get to them. They are also used to treat the foundation of a house. Other, more toxic insecticides are also available, including carbaryl, but their use is generally not necessary if the active management described above is in place against earwigs.

In conclusion, it is worth emphasizing that indoors, earwigs can be physically destroyed. However, you should not crush them with your hands - the insect’s body fluids contain substances that have a rather bad odor and are difficult to wash off.

If earwigs are a common problem in your building, you need to inspect your home to understand how they are getting into your home and then seal them tightly. In addition, it is necessary to remove anything unnecessary within the outer perimeter of the building that could provide shelter for insects - ivy on the walls, grass cover, mulch, debris (especially leaves in gutters), wood piles and assorted other junk.

Additionally, you need to keep water and moisture out by repairing gutters and keeping water and sewer pipes from leaking, as well as ensuring proper ventilation.

It is not recommended to use insecticides indoors, as they are not very effective, but are very toxic to humans and domestic animals. Good luck with your earwig control!

Prevention of the appearance of double-easted

High-quality ventilation.
Regular ventilation.
Timely plumbing repairs.
Equip all windows with insect screens.
Reduce humidity at home. In places where condensation accumulates, you can place the most accessible absorbents: cat litter, salt, etc. Avoid drying clothes in the house.
Cleanliness in the dining area and kitchen. Sealed packaging of products for storage.
Maintaining cleanliness and order in the premises.
Use of industrial dehumidifiers.
Timely waste disposal.
Cleaning of plant debris around the perimeter of cottages, greenhouses, outbuildings.
Preventive treatment in the autumn.
It is better to poison insects in the spring, when their activity is high.
Do not leave compositions of summer fruits and berries in the public domain.

Install mosquito nets on the windows.
Earwigs and doubletails are different insects. They are often confused due to their similar lifestyle and identical tails. Insects multiply quickly, a huge population will quickly occupy the refrigerator, ruin the harvest, and cause a lot of trouble. To combat double-tailed insects, you need to use a combination of chemical and biological methods.

If you pay special attention to preventive measures, the risk of insects in the house will be reduced to a minimum.

Relationship with a person

The main reasons for the appearance of double-worts in an apartment are increased humidity and dampness. Such conditions are the most acceptable for their existence. In addition, a humid environment promotes the appearance of other small insects, which, in turn, become food for two-easted birds. These parasites can also come into your home from neighboring utility rooms, sheds and outbuildings, which are usually always damp and lack adequate ventilation. And you should look for pests under baseboards, in cracks and in the bottom drawers of cabinets and cabinets.

The small population of two-easted birds is not capable of causing much harm. As mentioned above, they can even be useful, as they eat small pests. However, if this insect was found on the site or in the house, then this is a rather serious reason to think about it and begin to take steps to eliminate them. If this is not done, the colony will quickly grow and cause serious problems.

Two-tailed insects, having settled in the garden, will begin to eat unripe seeds of cultivated plants, young shoots and buds that have not yet opened.
In apartments, they raid ornamental plants, baked goods, and can even ruin wet laundry.
Having appeared in the house, two-tailed insects pose a certain danger to human health. If they sense a threat approaching, they can inflict a rather painful bite, at the site of which a wound will form and itching will appear.
Important! With sensitive skin, an allergic reaction is possible, which manifests itself in the form of the formation of large blisters filled with liquid!
In addition, doubletails feed on rotting remains, and therefore automatically become carriers of infectious diseases. Therefore, contact with them can lead to quite unpleasant consequences.

For these reasons, the fight against double-tails must be timely. And in order to prevent their spread in residential premises and on a personal plot, it is advisable to use the following tips.

Why is it dangerous for humans?

The nimble insects hunt at night, often crawling out unexpectedly from secluded places, and if accidentally touched by the double-tailed insect, it bites (pinches the finger). The sensations are not pleasant. Adults often do not feel the bites, but a child may be scared.

For children or allergy sufferers, damage to the skin from double-tailed bites can provoke a negative reaction from the body. The danger of earwigs for humans is the risk of developing allergies and infection entering the wound when scratching the affected area.

How to deal with earwig bites:

do not panic: the double-tailed fish is truly dangerous only for those who serve as food for it;
wipe the painful area with alcohol or vinegar;
to prevent allergic reactions, take any antihistamine (Cetrin, Suprastin, Diazolin, Claritin) or lubricate the bite area with Fenistil-gel;
cover the bitten area with a clean handkerchief or wear soft fabric with long sleeves. Do not seal the wound to avoid the “greenhouse effect” in the affected area;
After disinfection and taking anti-allergy pills, the risk of side effects is almost zero.