As I started looking at other plants, namely my bell peppers, squash , sunflowers and cucumbers I noticed that something is tearing the leaves apart down to the veins. The soap makes no difference since the new leaves appear to have the same pests chewing through them.

Here are some pictures, maybe someone has an idea?

Some of it is old damage. If holes are made while the leaf is stilling expanding, the holes enlarge, too.

If your neighbors are close or apt to notice you, warn them so they don't think you are a prowler - mine are used to me.

I quickly did as morz suggested, opened my toolbox, brought the guy inside and took pictures of him as he unfortunately came to terms with a pair of rusty pliers.

I've never seen these things before, it's like a cross between an ear wig, and an ant and skives me the hell out.

Any ideas?

Someone last year was using oil, soy sauce, and I think a bit a corn syrup in a shallow can and having great results on growing from seed forum. There are lots of 'recipes' on the web....

The bait for earwigs is generally labeled as something like sowbug, earwig, cutworm bait( a combination product) and not the same thing as used for slugs, not an iron phosphate bait. Lily Miller makes one, there are probably others. It's not an environmentally or pet friendly bait as far as I know.

What exactly is bait? Is it like candy coated poison? Or is it designed to lure them into traps, like wet newspaper?

As far as staying organic.. at this point I say screw it on 1/2 of my garden since the earwigs already killed 2 plants and wrecked 3+ plants :(

Baits aren't lures in this sense, the pests are killed by consuming the baits.

I heard it's a cancer causing pesticide. Thoughts?