Last year I had ant nests and earwigs living in my window boxes (1st year for boxes) and coming in the house through the cracks around the windows. (Very small cracks, and drainage holes in the windows.)
Would Horticultural Diatomaceous Earth work to stop these bugs, do I sprinkle it on top or right through.
I sprayed the boxes with soapy water and this did not help.
Any other ideas?
As far as the ant nests, usually they prefer dry soil, so maybe watering more may help -- each time you water or more often, depending on what you're growing. There are also soil drenches you can use (insecticides) to rid the soil of ants. You'll have to check for what's labeled for ant use where you live, tho.
As for the earwigs, they are ishy so most everyone hates them, but are probably in your planters just to hide out somewhere cool and dark during the day. Unless you see that they're eating what you're growing there, they probably aren't really a problem. If they are eating your planter box plants, an easy way to get rid of them, as they do not favor heat and dry, is to roll up newspaper, dampen it and place it around the area where you are seeing them. Check your newspaper rolls in the a.m. when they should be resting during the day, and dispose of paper rolls and hopefully, captured earwigs.
To keep all critters out of the house, caulk, caulk, caulk. In the long run, it's always easier to keep them out than to try to get rid of them once they find their way in.
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