Earwigs

[bunkmoreland]

Has anyone any personal reccomendations for keeping dahlias safe from these pesky beings?

[Buenchico]

Well I'm not a great lover of dahlias but I think that earwigs are wonderful (I'd never harm any of those beautiful creatures), so perhaps I shouldn't be answering this question ;-)

However the relevant page of Royal Horticultural Society website might be of interest to you:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0800/earw igs.asp

Chris

[bunkmoreland]

thank you chris. Lots of good advice there. i will try to be as humane as possible in their removal,in defference to your own beliefs !

[foxyferret]

If you smear vaseline petroleum jelly on the stems, it stops the climbing to eat the petals. Does not stop them from eating the leaves though. Try a flower pot on a stick stuffed with shredded paper, they will hide in here so you can tip them out the next day. Neither of these methods should cause the earwigs any harm.