The one pesky insect that can wreak havoc on your dahlias - New Day NW

Dahlias are blooming everywhere in the Pacific Northwest right now. Gardening Guru Ciscoe Morris loves dahlias. The gorgeous flower is also the subject of many of the questions he gets asked. Whatever you do, he says, keep the earwigs away!
Here's more on Dahlias from Ciscoe himself:
A bouquet a day keeps the marriage counselor away.
Few perennials can match dahlias when it comes to producing non-stop flowers. Their gorgeous blooms add beauty to any area of the garden, and if you get in half the trouble I do (how did I fail to notice those sheets drying on the clothesline when I turned on that sprinkler?) you’ll appreciate having the long-lasting cut flowers for use in bouquets. The blooms come in almost every color imaginable with sizes varying from golf ball to dinner plate. Most local nurseries carry a great section of potted, ready to plant specimens. Keep an eye out for the rarer varieties with red or purple leaves. They’re exceptionally attractive with masses of colorful flowers that contrast beautifully with the wine-colored foliage. Plant your Dahlia in as much sun as possible in well-drained soil. To keep them blooming non-stop, keep the root zone well mulched and water regularly. Fertilize every 6 weeks by scratching a mixture of alfalfa meal and organic flower food into the soil around the root zone, and remove spent flowers regularly.
Dahlias are generally pest-free (deer don’t eat them) but their one nemesis is earwigs. If they build up to sufficient numbers, they eat the petals right off during the night leaving the blooms looking like Mariners' baseballs. Fortunately, these critters are fairly easy to lure into a trap if you know the trick. Make the 'Ciscoe earwig trap' by cutting off the top of an empty plastic water bottle where it begins to narrow at the neck. Then drop a blop (teaspoon) of the secret ingredient, canned tuna fish cat food, into the bottle. Invert the bottleneck you cut off, and stick it inside the top of the bottle pointing down like a funnel. Use scotch tape to secure the bottleneck in the top. Stick a safety pin in each side and tie yarn to the pins to allow you to hang a few traps in each plant that's under attack. Canned fish-flavored cat food has the same effect on earwigs that brussels sprouts casseroles have on me. It drives them crazy with desire. The little devils can't resist the midnight snack and will enter the trap, only to discover they can't find their way back out the next morning. Dump the earwigs into soapy water, or since they’re somewhat beneficial (they eat harmful insects) release them somewhere far from any Dahlias. Don’t leave the traps hanging for too long. They can get a bit pungent, and you'll be amazed at how many new kitty friends you’ll have visiting your garden.
Most people dig and store their Dahlias tubers in winter, but I leave mine in the ground. After the foliage dies back in fall, cut the stems to the ground and mulch over the roots with a thick cover of evergreen fern fronds. The fronds are great insulators and they repel water, preventing the tubers from rotting in our cold rainy winters. Although I've lost a few in excessively cold winters, most survive to produce beautifully the following year. If over time, however, your Dalila begins losing vigor and produces fewer flowers, it’s a sure sign the tuberous roots are overcrowded and need dividing. Dig up the rootstock in fall after the leaves and stems turn black. Tap off the soil and dry the clumps in a frost-free area for at least three days before beginning the dividing process. First, discard any rotten or shriveled tubers. Next, divide the rootstock, either into individual tubers or into chunks containing a few tubers. Make sure that the tubers in the division are attached to a stem from the previous year, as those are the only ones that will produce growth the following spring. Wrap the divisions in several layers of newspaper and place them in open paper bags or cardboard boxes and store them in your unheated garage. Check the divisions now and then and if any tubers are shriveling, spritz them with water from a spray bottle. If any long stems emerge from the tubers in storage, snap them off right before replanting in early May. Then relax. You’ll have more than enough flowers for spectacular bouquets to make up for all of the trouble you’re undoubtedly going to get into next summer.
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[@luckydiamonds5]

this man is so sweet it's good to see someone so exited and enthusiastic about dahlias he definitely gave a good tip to get rid of those earwigs. those bugs destroyed my mom's dahlias last year.

[@radionoakmont7756]

ciscoe ciscoe coscoe rooocckkkk onnnnnnnnnn im so happoy to see ciscoe againi love dahlias i will grow them again my bumblebees looooves them so much hope your on twitter mr morris missed watching your amazing show on king 5 news everyday just happy to see your awesome gardening again your wife has amazing dahlias.

[@terryfraatz424]

Thank you so much for the earwig trap idea, I get tons of them on my lilacs too. Sounds like this will definitely help! God Bless, stay safe!

[@alisha8011]

I love this guy haha , great information thank you.

[@Teresa-pg7wb]

thanks for the trap idea...earwigs are eating ONE of my dahlias...my FAVORITE one!

[@ganon01ryanoutsen92]

Here comes funny elder 😆
Hold on! Chocolate!!! 🍫

[@sarahash7551]

Love this guy.😂thank you for all information

[@Thereshewonders]

I’ll love the dahlia ❤❤

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

Earwigs are important pollinators. Collect them up and release them elsewhere

[@adamsmith6594]

And when you think that you wont get earwigs cause you never see them - they can fly. And do not think they cant the have wings. Look it up

[@LaoSoftware]

I'm a guy. I love planting flowers and vegetables. And no, I'm not gay. I just enjoy nature.

[@lostpelican1883]

I'm gonna assume a kid posted this but dude, if anyone's callin you gay cuz you like plants, they're stupid. What do they think farmers do? JSYK plenty of men do this, an intelligent man knows how to identify plants in the woods and survive.

[@annieo2766]

No, that round type is called a Beach Ball, not dinnerplate.

[@stefaniecurry5804]

I am obsessed with dahlias and I’ve finally got a very nice one but I think the bugs and even little spiders are just as obsessed as I am with it! I had no idea there was a “beach ball” type. Mine is similar to the one show but in a pink color. I thought it was a dinner plate variety. It didn’t come with a tag