If you think that earwigs are annoying insects, you are wrong. In fact, they are very useful. That's why it makes sense to build a catchy house.
Insects can be very annoying in everyday life. However, they are an enrichment for the garden, because they drive away many enemies of flowers and plants. With an insect hotel you can offer the useful insects a nice home and a wonderful place to overwinter. A hotel or house made from a clay pot, for example, is the ideal living space for earwigs and lacewings.
Why the catchy tune is useful in the garden
The earwig and the fly away are useful insects because they keep the garden and the plants clean. For example, earwigs love aphids, which is why they also serve as their main food. If you have a problem with aphids, earwigs can be the ideal helper. It then makes sense to place the catchy house right next to the plants that are most affected. After a short time you will see a significant improvement in the problem.
You will need these materials
You don't need a lot of supplies to make a home for earwigs. Since earwigs are satisfied with some straw and a rainproof housing, the earwig house is built very quickly. For this you need:
- a large clay pot
- Secateurs
- Rope or thick cord
- Onion or potato net or chicken wire
- Straw
You can decide how big the clay pot should be. For example, you can use one large and/or several small clay pots. The catchy houses can then also function as great garden decorations.
Step by step instructions
Step 1:
Before you start the actual construction, you should check whether the clay pot is clean. If this is used, you must first clean it thoroughly.
Step 2:
Now it's getting colorful! Because now you can embellish the catchy house with waterproof colors. There are no limits to the imagination. But you don't necessarily have to paint the clay pot, because catchy tunes don't care what the facade of their home looks like. Do crafts with children, do it for the little onesbut great fun to embellish the clay pots with colors. However, always make sure that the colors are waterproof, otherwise they will say goodbye after the first rain. Then let the clay pot dry well.
Step 3:
Now you have to clarify whether the clay pot should stand on the ground or hang on a tree. If you want to hang up the catchy house, the thick cord is used. You have to thread this through the hole on the floor and knot it well inside so that the cord can be used as a holder. You can then form a large loop at the other end of the string or tie the insect hotel directly to a tree. If you want to store the clay pot on the ground, no string is needed.
Step 4:
Now the clay pot is filled with straw. You can use a little more straw here. The clay pot should be well filled so that little or no straw falls out when you turn the clay pot upside down. You can cut the straw with the secateurs and then stuff it into the pot.
Step 5:
Now the onion or potato net is used. In order for the straw to hold up well and not fall out, you have to stretch it over the opening of the clay pot. This will help the catchy tunes slip into their new home more easily. Pull the net firmly over the opening and tie a knot on one side so that it doesn't come off.
You can also use some chicken wire. Simply put it over the clay pot opening, fold over the protruding ends of the grid on the outside of the pot and then tie it. If you do handicrafts with children, then it is better to use an onion or potato net. Children could eventually injure themselves on the chick wire.
Step 6:
Now the catchy house is finished. Now you can place it face down on the ground or hang it from a tree. It won't be long before the little insects have found their way to their new homes.
You can do it this way too
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Here are a few more tips
❶ Try not to use chemicals to clean the clay pot.
❷ The colors should be suitable for children, because what doesn't harm children doesn't harm animals either.
❸ Choose the location of the earwig house so that the earwigs are right next to the food source, i.e. theaphids, dwell. This has the advantage that the insects feel comfortable and stay in their new home for a long time.
❹ Earwigs are nocturnal and use the twilight to hunt. So you don't have to worry about the worms being uninvited guests at lunch. You will rarely see these.
❺ You don't have to check every day whether there are residents for the insect hotel. You'd better leave the clay pot alone, because otherwise the catchy tunes will soon run away again.
Conclusion:
If you have aphid problems, an earwig house is just the thing for your garden. Roses in particular are often affected. The nice thing is that the catchy house can be made quickly and decorated, making it a real eye-catcher in the garden. In addition, it costs very little money and is an effective companion in the fight against aphids. The earwigs will move into their new home quickly and if you leave them alone, they will stay there for a long time. The catchy house is also the perfect place for the little animals to spend the winter.
Tip:
You don't just want to attract earwigs into the garden and use them as natural predators? Then build an insect hotel. In no time at all, bees, ladybugs and butterflies will be colonizing your garden.
» Instructions to build your own insect hotel