Written by Robert Orpet, Washington State University, June 3, 2024
A healthy population of earwigs can help with biocontrol of difficult pests like woolly apple aphid and pear psylla. Free earwigs for apple and pear orchards will be distributed at workshops in July. The workshops will also provide knowledge to use rolls of cardboard for your own mass-collections of earwigs for transportation (Fig. 1).
Please provide your e-mail using this web form if you would like to attend one of the workshops in Table 1. An RSVP is required so we can plan ahead with materials and update you on the specific locations.
Table 1. Locations, dates, and times for workshops in 2024.
| Region | Location | Date and Time |
|---|---|---|
| Whatcom | Cloud Mountain Farm near Everson, WA | Sunday June 23, morning |
| Yakima | USDA Research Farm in Wapato | Thursday July 18, 10–11AM |
| Wenatchee | WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center | Thursday July 25, 10–11AM |
| Hood River | OSU Mid-Columbia Research & Extension Center | Thursday Aug 01, 10–11AM |
More information about earwigs
Are earwigs pests?
Earwigs are omnivores that can damage stone fruits like peaches, but earwigs are not a significant apple or pear pest. Earwigs mainly only chew on apples or pears where they have been already damaged by mechanical injury or splitting.
Do spray programs affect earwigs?
During previous research projects, earwigs were not detected in many conventional pear orchards in the Wenatchee Valley and some apple orchards in the Columbia Basin. Some common pesticides are implicated in explaining this. Pear orchards following WSU’s phenology model guidelines can conserve earwigs.
Why transport earwigs?
Earwigs are not highly dispersive, so the idea of earwig transportation is to inoculate orchards early during transition to organic or softer integrated pesticide regimes. Earwig inoculation can help establish this biocontrol agent earlier and boost biocontrol earlier than they would naturally be able to disperse and grow a considerable population.
Contact
Dr. Robert Orpet
Washington State University
robert.orpet@wsu.edu
Funding and acknowledgements
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number WRGR23-004 through the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Additional information
- The Earwig Transportation Workshop Website has educational handouts and additional information on earwigs in orchards.
- Shareable link to sign up for workshops
Fruit Matters articles may only be republished with prior author permission © Washington State University. Reprint articles with permission must include: Originally published by Washington State Tree Fruit Extension Fruit Matters at treefruit.wsu.edu and a link to the original article.
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