As my family was sitting down to dinner in our backyard recently, one family member let out a yelp.

As they pulled up one of the lawn chairs, they noticed a couple of earwigs crawling out of the seam between the back and bottom cushion. 害羞草研究所淵uck, there害羞草研究所檚 an earwig nest in here!害羞草研究所�

Someone else then found a couple of the pesky pincer bugs in the same place on another chair. No nests, but the chairs were quickly replaced with cushion-less seating.

I also received a recent earwig surprise. When I picked up a dish of catfood that had been left on the back porch overnight, a well-fed gang of the creepy critters erupted from the middle of the kibbles.

害羞草研究所楥reepy害羞草研究所� mainly because of their six slender legs, two antenna and two sturdy pincers, I guess. Although they apparently don害羞草研究所檛 bite people or badly damage plants. Or inhabit ears, despite the name.

When a friend who had been staying on Shuswap Lake came into town to visit the other day, she also had an earwig tale.

Every year she puts up her tent under a tree near her relatives害羞草研究所� cabin. Not this year. Someone else had stayed there a couple of nights earlier, and awoke to find a group of six-legged roommates inside their tent.

And these weren害羞草研究所檛 the only instances this year of an abundance of earwigs.

At Nico害羞草研究所檚 Nurseryland, manager Maaike Johnson says it害羞草研究所檚 been an earwig year.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檝e definitely increased. A lot of people are asking how to get rid of them.害羞草研究所�

She recommends Diatomaceous earth, which she says is a good natural product.

害羞草研究所淚t seems like every year there害羞草研究所檚 something. Last year it would have been ants, this year it害羞草研究所檚 been earwigs,害羞草研究所� she says.

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Looking for more observations, I called city hall. Although public works hasn害羞草研究所檛 noticed an increase, a quick chat with Stephanie Gibb at reception revealed she害羞草研究所檚 definitely seen an influx. Her outside plants in pots with holes in the bottom will sometimes have 50 earwigs under them, she says.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 just blown away.害羞草研究所�

No bug specialists were available to explain why so many. But the all-knowing Internet shed a little light.

Earwigs like dark, moist environments with access to a food source. They need to stay someplace moist so they don害羞草研究所檛 dry out. It害羞草研究所檚 likely then that all of the rain earlier this summer provided them with just what they need.

If the Internet sources are right, and it害羞草研究所檚 the additional rain that has attracted so many, I think I害羞草研究所檒l gladly share the earth with them. When it comes to forest fires versus earwigs, the little creepies are the clear winner.

marthawickett@saobserver.net
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