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. sa国际传媒淵uck, theresa国际传媒檚 an earwig nest in here!sa国际传媒�

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.

sa国际传媒楥reepysa国际传媒� mainly because of their six slender legs, two antenna and two sturdy pincers, I guess. Although they apparently donsa国际传媒檛 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 relativessa国际传媒� 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 werensa国际传媒檛 the only instances this year of an abundance of earwigs.

At Nicosa国际传媒檚 Nurseryland, manager Maaike Johnson says itsa国际传媒檚 been an earwig year.

sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檝e definitely increased. A lot of people are asking how to get rid of them.sa国际传媒�

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

sa国际传媒淚t seems like every year theresa国际传媒檚 something. Last year it would have been ants, this year itsa国际传媒檚 been earwigs,sa国际传媒� she says.

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Looking for more observations, I called city hall. Although public works hasnsa国际传媒檛 noticed an increase, a quick chat with Stephanie Gibb at reception revealed shesa国际传媒檚 definitely seen an influx. Her outside plants in pots with holes in the bottom will sometimes have 50 earwigs under them, she says.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 just blown away.sa国际传媒�

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 donsa国际传媒檛 dry out. Itsa国际传媒檚 likely then that all of the rain earlier this summer provided them with just what they need.

If the Internet sources are right, and itsa国际传媒檚 the additional rain that has attracted so many, I think Isa国际传媒檒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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