The most effective way to control an earwig problem is to use trapping devices.
- Place folded or rolled up newspapers in between flowers and vegetables at night. Earwigs will hide between the sheets come daylight.
- Place cardboard boxes baited with oatmeal or bran in your garden. Punch pencil-sized entry sites in the sides near the bottom. Again, frequently destroy the contents of the trap.
- Another trap consists of placing a tuna can into a shallow pot or saucer. Fill the pot or saucer with potting soil up to the rim of the can. Inside the can, put a heaping tablespoon of bread crumbs and add about a half inch of cooking oil. Place the pot or saucer among the plants in your flower garden. The earwigs will be lured into the can. Once inside the can, they become coated in the oil, rendering them incapable of escaping.