THUNDER BAY — Entomologist Ken Deacon has never seen as many earwigs in the Thunder Bay area as he's encountered this summer.
"There are places where I've turned over a log or moved a board or whatever and it's like 'Holy moly, there's a lot of earwigs hiding under here,' he said in an interview Tuesday.
The insects are readily recognized by a pair of intimidating forceps-like pincers protruding from the abdomen, which are used to catch prey and fend off predators, while also playing a role in the mating ritual between males and females.
Deacon said although the forceps are scary-looking, they're not sufficiently functional to cause any severe problem for humans.
"For all those people who think they're really awful and ugly little critters, it gets worse," he said.
"They can fly. The little pads on their back hide a nice set of foldable wings, and they can fly all over the place."
Earwigs don't pose a health hazard but can cause damage in your garden, where they may feed on tender shoots, leaves and blossoms of flowering plants and vegetables.
"They'll eat little holes in things, and as soon as a vegetable has a hole in it, that means the fungus is not long behind. You risk the loss of the vegetable or, at least, diminished productivity," Deacon said.
He believes the population may have exploded this year because of recent favourable weather conditions in both the winter and summer, which have led to higher survival and reproductive rates.
"It's not that they are social insects but they certainly form huge groups if the conditions are right."
During daylight hours, earwigs prefer to hide in cool, dark, damp areas such as under dead leaves, logs, boards, stones or other debris – even in mailboxes – but don't be surprised if you find they accidentally invade your house from time to time, because they often seek refuge in tight spaces such as under doors and sliding windows.
Deacon said one way to get rid of them is to sweep them into a dust pan and deposit them in a container of soapy water where they can't survive.
At Canadian Pest Control in Thunder Bay, owner Doug Rondeau said "the moister the year, the more earwig calls you get."
He said his company started receiving calls after a brief rain event last month, particularly from the Grandview and Westfort areas of the city, as well as "from the outskirts where it's nice and warm."
Some places, Rondeau, said "are very, very heavily infested," but on the whole he believes the earwig population around the city is only a little higher than in an average year.
When a homeowner calls for help getting rid of the insects, the company applies an insecticide available to licensed pest control operators.
"Basically, It's crack- and-crevice. You treat around the perimeter, and you've got to be thorough. Anything that's touching the house has to be treated. Behind the mailbox, under the garbage cans, under the flower pots. We do a double line around the house. If it has a basement, on the top of the parging and on the bottom. This will flush them out and it does kill them. Also around the doorways. These guys get everywhere, and they really cluster in some areas."
As for home remedies, Rondeau said some people have found that the insects are attracted by a rolled-up wet newspaper.
"They like to go in there for some reason, and you can just dispose of them after that."
Although most people are repelled by earwigs, Health Canada notes that they serve a beneficial purpose in that they are scavengers of decaying matter and predators of insect larvae, slug eggs, aphids and other garden pests.
