Environmental Entomology (1981) 10, 701-704

J.O. Strandberg (1981)
Activity and abundance of the earwig, Labidura riparia, in a winter cabbage production ecosystem
Environmental Entomology 10 (5), 701-704
Abstract: The abundance and activity of the striped earwig, Labidura riparia (Pallas) (Dermaptera: Labiduridae), were measured weekly in a cabbage ecosystem in central Florida over a 1-year period. Pitfall traps were most effective for monitoring earwig activity. Wire-cage traps containing live larvae of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), adult female earwigs, or other food sources were evaluated as attractants or baits. Wire-cage traps containing cabbage looper larvae consistently caught the most earwigs, indicating that earwigs actively search for and eat these larvae. Laboratory feeding studies with caged earwigs confirmed bait preferences. The relative abundance and activity of earwigs as measured by pitfall trap catch corresponded closely to average weekly air temperature. Fewer earwigs were caught during the winter months (January through March), but earwigs were abundant and active during the entire year.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
population dynamics/epizootiology
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Trichoplusia ni	Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)	U.S.A. (SE)
Labidura riparia (predator)	Trichoplusia ni	Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)	U.S.A. (SE)