# Ugh! What are these things on my tree? Do I need to worry? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046 "2019-06-25T17:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/1 "2019-06-25T17:29:13Z")
(Not the ladybugs or flowerbuds, but the other things, of course.) They look despicable, but on the other hand they don’t seem actually to be doing anything. If they were some kind of larval form I would expect them to be actively chewing up the leaves, but they’re not; they’re just sitting there, apparently avoiding the sunlight. There’s another leaf just above this which I had to lift out of the way in order to shoot the photo. Generally, there are a lot of ladybugs on the undersides of leaves, or on top of sheltered leaves, but there are more of these larvae or whatever they are. Do I need to take steps? I’m in Oregon if it matters, and I’m told the tree is a sedum, but I’m not sure that’s correct. [Link](https://flic.kr/s/aHsmEvVnkQ) Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/2 "2019-06-25T17:35:43Z")
Earwigs I think. Relatively harmless to trees, but my chew on some of the budding leaves. I am not a bug expert. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/3 "2019-06-25T17:46:40Z")
Yes, earwigs. Nasty things. You should see what they will do to a clump of basil. Fill a spray bottle, then add only enough vinegar until you can just smell it in the mixture. Spray your plants regularly, including the undersides. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/4 "2019-06-25T18:44:35Z")
Unless you’re seeing a lot of damage (and it doesn’t look like it in those photos), I’d just leave them alone. Earwigs do eat plant matter; they also eat insects which eat even more plant matter. They may be doing you more good than harm. > **[3 Pests That Can Actually Make Your Garden Healthier](https://www.growveg.com/guides/3-pests-that-can-actually-make-your-garden-healthier/)** > > Some creatures are both the gardener's friend and foe, depending on the time of year and what they're up to... [https://www.westernsare.org/Learning-Center/From-the-Field/Pest-or-Beneficial-Earwigs-Are-Put-to-the-Test](https://www.westernsare.org/Learning-Center/From-the-Field/Pest-or-Beneficial-Earwigs-Are-Put-to-the-Test) And you certainly don’t want to risk discouraging or damaging the ladybugs. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/5 "2019-06-25T19:07:50Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Unless you’re seeing a lot of damage (and it doesn’t look like it in those photos), I’d just leave them alone. > > Earwigs do eat plant matter; they also eat insects which eat even more plant matter. They may be doing you more good than harm. > > [3 Pests That Can Actually Make Your Garden Healthier](https://www.growveg.com/guides/3-pests-that-can-actually-make-your-garden-healthier/) > > [https://www.westernsare.org/Learning-Center/From-the-Field/Pest-or-Beneficial-Earwigs-Are-Put-to-the-Test](https://www.westernsare.org/Learning-Center/From-the-Field/Pest-or-Beneficial-Earwigs-Are-Put-to-the-Test) > And you certainly don’t want to risk discouraging or damaging the ladybugs. unless those are “phony” ladybugs (Asian Lady Beetles.) those things are pieces of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/6 "2019-06-25T19:16:48Z")
Earwigs. Yuck. They like to come into your house and eat your books. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/7 "2019-06-25T19:35:38Z")
Make sure they stay in the trees and not around your house. There are safe-for-pets sprays you can get to spray your eaves and doorways to keep the earwigs under control. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/8 "2019-06-25T19:43:24Z")
[if they get in your house, they will eat your brain.](https://www.liveabout.com/do-earwigs-crawl-in-peoples-ears-4052590) But other than that, nothing to worry about. You might want to keep your door closed. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-things-on-my-tree-do-i-need-to-worry/836046/9 "2019-06-25T20:43:47Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > unless those are “phony” ladybugs (Asian Lady Beetles.) those things are pieces of shit. No they’re not. They’re a mixed blessing; but they eat Colorado potato beetle larvae, which the native ladybugs don’t. And they do also eat the pests the native ones do; though they don’t stay active as long into the cold weather, so aren’t as useful about aphids on brussels sprouts.