Bump...
This is an old
thread, but I have been having the same problem. Initially I thought the culprits were fungus gnats (which I did have a lot of at one point) but the damage progressed passed what the gnats were capable of. A night-time investigation revealed the pincher bugs/earwigs to be the real problem. They had done a good job of chewing down almost all of the new growth on parsley, carrots and radishes, and where now working their way through the beets, basil, beans, summer savory and tree collards. I'm assuming they started with what they liked best and then on to the next in line.
Managing with birds and fowl would be great, but again, this is a nocturnal problem that I don't believe songbirds and chickens would be much help with. Toads and such would be great, but sometimes you want more immediate action rather than waiting for a toad to take up residence. I have had good luck with the following:
- Oil/vinegar traps (setting out a can or shallow jar with
water, oil, or
cider vinegar to attract the earwigs and they drown in the liquid)
- Rolled up newspaper (wetting the newspaper works well)
- Manual head-pinch method
One thing I have not tried is
diatomaceous earth. In theory it
should work, but I could see a problem with it needing to stay dry for the greatest effect, so you would have to reapply regularly and place strategically.
I have heard of placing various herbs like mint and lemon-thyme to repel earwigs. I think your mileage would vary since I have not found an herb that was truly immune to them besides maybe rosemary (stronger essential oil).