So*, in Israel, very few people have dryers. We, for example, don't have one. Like all the other Israeli citizens, we hang our laundry on lines outside the window.
However, it apparently seems to be that time of year when earwigs thrive within the folds of freshly cleaned underwear. Last time we took the laundry off the line and I folded it, two earwigs crawled out and almost scared me to death. This time, today, when I was folding the laundry, four more decided to say "hello."
How do we get rid of them? Does anyone have any ideas? There's nowhere inside the house to hang large quantities of laundry, and we can't stop DOING it (the laundry, in case that wasn't clear)... but when you're attacked four times over by earwigs, you don't particularly want to repeat the experience. They are rather revolting creatures.
Suggestions welcome!
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
How do they get onto the laundry in the first place? When it's hanging up, or when you're folding it, or what?
Yeah, Raia, no one in this country owns dryers either - it's all hung up outside. Most laundry's dry in a couple of hours.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Hey, do you have any pictures? I'd like to know what they look like...
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Eradication by hand appears to be the preferred method. "Pick them off and discard" said one book.
Have you tried shaking the laundry first?
It seems like they "might" make holes in clothing, but really these aren't dangerous pests and don't do anything to ears. Spraying with malathion might help, but who wants that on their clothing?
Yuck!
Hire an orangutan to nibble at them for a half hour before you take the laundry in.
Chances are, they're attracted to the wet laundry as a source of water, now that I think of it. Probably nothing you can do to get rid of them.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Well, that's fantastic.
Quid, they climb in while it's hanging up, and climb back out when I'm folding the laundry. *shudder*
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Climb in? Do they climb across the line? Or up the legs of the laundry hanging thingy? Or fly in? Ick!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
If they're attracted to water, can you give them a saucer of water on the corner of the balcony while the clothes are out (dumping it afterwards, of course)?
I have no idea if it will work, but I know my mom used to give the ants a dish of stale sugary cereal outside, and it mostly kept them out of the house. (Any who did come in were breaking the bargain and were killed.)
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
I don't know if they're actually after water... it's worth a try, I suppose... but you'd think, after the clothes dried, they'd leave, in that case!
Quid, I have no idea what they do. I just know that when I fold the laundry, they fall on my lap out of someone's underwear, or t-shirts. And it scares the living daylights out of me.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
According to this, earwigs are attracted to tight crevices. So, try to hang your clothes out as flat as possible? But they'll still go for the arms. They are apparently a important predator of pests, so it's better not to kill them if you can; they recommend shaking. They say you can make traps of tightly rolled corrugated cardboard, but I don't guarantee they won't just attract more. Sorry.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My mom says you can mix powdered sugar with boric acid and put it around the edges of the balcony to attract and kill most pests. She has no clue if it will work on earwigs, though. Posted by JuneBug (Member # 7894) on :
Wandered into thread thinking it was about songs stuck in your head . . . then realized those are called "earworms," not earwigs. Yours are real bugs. Icky. My sympathy to you. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Thanks for your suggestions. I'll try them and let you know what works!
JuneBug, thanks. And welcome to Hatrack! Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Well, I suggest planting an apricot tree right next to the clothesline. I say that because I spent a few days several summers ago picking apricots and was throroughly freaked out at the number of earwigs that were on those things. Aparently they really like apricots.
Posted by Grisha (Member # 6871) on :
ewww, after looking at the picture of them from kq's link, I think I'd have to wash my clothes again after finding them, but then they'd have to be dried again...
*shudders*
*is thankful to have a drier*
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Most people complain about their ear hair... but you're looking for an ear wig?
::silence fills the thread::
ahem...but more seriously.
The borax/sugar thing won't work, I don't think, because I don't think earwigs go for sweets. Works wonderfully for ants, though - they take the soap back to the nest and kill the queen. Heh.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Hmmm. What about boric acid on something they do eat, or sprinkled in a cardboard tube, as previously described?
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
How about just leaving them be? Sure they look scary, and can deliever a bit of a pinch, but they are really quite harmless. They aren't poisonous, they don't bite, and they are quite happy to ignore you. Just flick them off the laundry when you find them, think of them as pets, give them names And you know you're likely to find them in your laundry, so I expect you'll get used to them after a while and not be so startled Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
My cousins call those pinch-bugs, and they do have a tendency to get into drying laundry. I never knew why before!
Good luck, Raia! Just remember, they're at least as scared of you as you are of them.
Posted by LadyDove (Member # 3000) on :
quote:Earwigs Earwigs like dark, humid places. They are easy to trap. Place some short lengths of garden hose or rolled-up newspaper near your house and fill them with peanut butter, fish oil or vegetable oil. The insects will crawl inside. Earwigs can also be trapped in an inverted flowerpot stuffed with newspaper or peat moss and placed in a tree. A small can filled with bacon or hamburger fat will lure them as well. The morning after you set your traps, shake the captured earwigs into some hot water to kill them. If you find the earwigs' "nest", sprinkle diatomaceous earth or soap onto it.
I supose you need to figure out whether you've got the winged or the flightless variety before you can decide which type to use.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Alcon: Um, no. Sorry.
Everyone else, thanks for the advice and so forth!
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Um, wait. Borax and sugar, ants will take it back to the nest and kill the queen? How certain is this information?
Also, what other names might borax go under? Borax by that name does not exist in this country that I know of, but if I know other names it goes by, I might be able to track it down... I wanna kill me some ants. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
For that matter, with all the complaints I've made about ants and ant nests and ant invasions and me talking about all the dammed ants I have to continually kill, why, oh why, has no one ever brought this up before?????? Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Borax is most effective against roaches and other beetles, but I believe it does have limited effectiveness against ants. Most of the "take back to the nest and kill the queen" baits are chemical (and often biologically active) though. Don't know how available they are where you are.
Borax is a compound of boric acid.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quid, I'm sorry! My mom just now told me about it. Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Well, from what I've been told, and my knowledge of ants, the ants that crawl around in your house are looking for bits of food to bring back to the nest. The Queen doesn't move, so it needs food brought to it.
Borax and soap are pretty similar in size and shape, and the carrying ants don't really know the difference, so the drones carry what they can back. If the queen eats the sugar, she's fine, if she eats the borax, she dies.
Now, I don't know if this has ever been proven at all, but it's something I've been told from a bunch of sources. Could, of course, be an old wives' tale.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Sorry quid, I don't read most threads, so I must have missed it. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Okay then, kq, you're forgiven. And I guess the rest of you have adequate excuses. I'll have to see if I can find me some. I have no idea where to look. The hardware little hole in the wall shops? Cuz it sure hasn't been down the laundry detergents aisle - I've looked there often enough.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
drugstore..as in pharmacy?
From the above link:
quote: The major uses of the boric acids are in forming other boron compounds and in borate salts, e.g., borax. A dilute water solution of boric acid is commonly used as a mild antiseptic and eyewash. Boric acid is also used in leather manufacture, electroplating, and cosmetics. Boric acid can be crystallized from an acidified borax solution.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Yeah, I can try there. You haven't seen the pharmacies in this country... I have no idea...
But with a lot of things, here, it's a matter of knowing where to look or who to ask. It took me over a year just to find a nail brush... In with the household cleaning brushes & sponges & brooms, no less, not with soaps & lotions & other body care products. Took me almost a year to find the desiccated coconut. Seriously. Still haven't found potting soil. Finally found an emery board two months ago.
Sigh.
But yes, thank you for the suggestion of the pharmacy. I'll give that a try. Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
You could always try here. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quid, would you like some borax with your tahini and chocolate? I could probably manage a small box. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*shudder* I prefer my tehina and chocolate borax-less. Ew!
Posted by alluvion (Member # 7462) on :
KQ and Riv,
So long as yer gonna chew cud, why not go and post in the appropriate thread?
falluvial
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
alluvion,
If you don't know the appropriate history, perhaps you should leave it alone.
kq
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Hey, if you're after tahini, I'm in an ideal place for that...
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Raia, I promised it to her a long time ago. I have it, I just haven't sent it. Posted by alluvion (Member # 7462) on :
egads!
KQ, my response is in a new thread (above).
more of a question, really.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I answered it already, grasshopper.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Oh, I see! Sorry, KQ. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Nothing to be sorry for. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
kq, let me ask at the pharmacy first. If I can't get it here, then that would be a resounding "Yes, please!" I'm so pathetic...
Posted by His Savageness (Member # 7428) on :
It could be worse, you could have Whip Scorpions hiding in your clothes.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
See, now, that's just mean. *stabs His Savageness*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Aaaaaaah! I did NOT like that picture!
quid, let me know if you manage the borax or not. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I will. We're going grocery shopping in a couple of days, and I'll ask the pharmacist then. Oh hey, I could also resort to asking women from church. They ought to know (cuz heaven knows, Fahim ain't got a clue, being only a man and all. ) I think I don't ask them enough for help with things considering the response I got today with phoning to ask about rhubarb. The two women were tickled pink that I called them to ask them about it.
Eh. I babble too much.
Yes, kq, I will let you know. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Posted by Geomancer (Member # 6299) on :
Maybe...take a bunch of old rags, and wet them daily, put them away from your laundry, and see if the earwigs are going to be attracted to those rather than your laundry, that's all I can think of.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
From the whip scorpion article:
>> they are also attractive to experienced owners because they are beautiful and rare.<<
Rare, okay. But beautiful? Someone needs a new perspective.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Or an eye transplant. *shudders*
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
ketchupqueen, I asked for borax at the pharmacy today, and no, they didn't have any. They did, however, have those painkillers you told me about and we got me some.
However, in the ensuing conversation between Fahim and the pharmacist, it's been determined that yes, in fact, borax is readily available in sporting goods stores. It might be more commonly known as boric powder or borix powder. It's used to make some carrom game or sport or something more slippery.
It's not, apparently, used for cleaning or laundry or anything else here. Unless all the women go to the sporting goods stores for their borax. Bizarre little country.
But I think I've said it before. It's all in knowing where to look.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
That is so weird.
What do mothers make "gloop" for their children out of? Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Gloop?
Haven't I mentioned that a nail brush was in with household cleaning brushes? And I found hair dye at a perfume shop? And, um, I wear men's sandals cuz women's only go to size 7. And flour and sugar only come in bags as big as 1 kg. And cheese is not necessarily refrigerated, but is likely sitting right beside the check-out lady, who looks like she's fourteen. Maybe. Eggs aren't refrigerated either and are hiding in a bin beside the sweets. Milk is available powdered or in the UHT packs, but not cartons in the refrigerated section. Tampons come in boxes of 8 or 16. Talcum powder is in the baby aisle (although this one does make sense.) Dental floss is behind the pharmaceutical counter, along with vitamin C (100 mg tablets only) and other vitamins. All medicines, even aspirin, are controlled by the pharmacist, but prescriptions are not necessary, not even for that loopy pain killer you told me to get. Pharmacists frequently prescribe medication, including how much to take, how often to take it, and for how long.
So. Why WOULDN'T borax be in a sporting goods store?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Apparently, it would be. Go figure.
Gloop is a mixture of white glue, borax, and water, and, if you want, food coloring. You knead it together in a plasitc bag, and it becomes a slime-like substance fun to play with. The good thing is, it has soap right in it, so it cleans up easily. Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Um, where's the soap? Oh, the borax! Got it! Huh, that sounds good, oddly enough. I'll have to make some to play with. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It's fun. Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
*giggle*
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I've never added water, also we called it Goop and usually left it white then colored it with markers, Gloop was the Corn Starch and water one that resists gravity, very fun if you make enough for a kiddy swimming pool, and jump in from chairs.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
We always used just enough water to make the borax a paste. Makes it easier to mix. And yes, it can be colored with markers.
Corn starch and water, we called "paper mache". Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
On this page, it's called "GAK", which is what my brother's cub scout leader also called it.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
The things I learn from Hatcrack. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I know what you mean!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Oh, I looked at my directions, we didn't use Borax (though it was listed as an option), we used Liquid Laundry Starch.
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Sorry.
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And you know you're likely to find them in your laundry, so I expect you'll get used to them after a while and not be so startled ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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I wanna kill me some ants. ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
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I'll have to see if I can find me some. I have no idea where to look. The hardware little hole in the wall shops? Cuz it sure hasn't been down the laundry detergents aisle - I've looked there often enough.
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