Earwig Trap

Earwig Trap

I've been seeing more earwig damage than usual lately in my small garden, so I set out to make (or rather, modify) a trap to see if it could fill the role of an apex, garden earwig predator, stepping in to cull the herd just enough to restore equilibrium in my garden. I know earwigs play a beneficial role in the ecosystem, and I’m not trying to wipe them out completely, just keep the population in check.

The trap is pretty simple: it’s a small, buried container with tight, tunnel-like entrances (since earwigs love narrow, shaded spaces), and a bait chamber below. I’ve been using soy sauce or tuna oil. The whole thing drops into a sleeve I buried once, so I don’t have to dig it up each time to empty or clean a trap.
I added a mesh screen above the bait to keep them from drowning in it but still let the scent through. Additionally, I’ve read that earwigs release aggregation pheromones when they congregate, which can encourage others to join them. So keeping them alive, at l