Earwig population explosion?

[willyumiii]

In five years, I have never really noticed any earwigs in Thailand. My wife who has lived here most of her almost fifty years says she has never noticed them before either.

I have done a little research online and found out that yes, earwigs have been in Thailand for a long time.

For the past three weeks I am seeing them everywhere. Inside and outside the house, in stores, like I said, everywhere and a lot of them.

Contrary to myths about them crawling in your ear and eating your brain, they are harmless, and some "preditory earwigs" are actually beneficial when they hunt and kill insects that are harmful in the garden.

It's just kind of creepy to see a lot of any kind of insect everywhere you look!

My simple question is, have you noticed a lot more earwigs out and about lately?

( Please. no posts blaming this on Obama. lol)

[canuckamuck]

We used to have them everywhere up here in the village, many types too. But lately I have hardly seen any. Might be a local earwig boom for you.

[CharlieH]

Food chain possibility, may be whatever usually eats them is missing or declining ?

[chowny77]

I have rarely seen them here in the town I stay.

[Rob13]

Please. no posts blaming this on Obama.

It's Bush's fault anyway, innit.

[ozyjon]

You started,,,

[SOTIRIOS]

...there is 'a season' for them....

...more than that ....it varies geographically....

...dunno if some imbalance in your region would have affected the population....

[thaipo7]

The only I have ever heard this word was from my Mother. I looked at the picture of this here and it is the insect that my mother called earwigs. Have not seen in Thailand in all my time starting in 1970 when I was a GI here. I am in Thailand right now, retired and wishing I was younger. lol

[OMGImInPattaya]

We used to call these "pincher bugs," and I can happily report that my Pattaya garden is now and has always been earwig free. Maybe they're more a family oriented insect.

Edited February 1, 2016 by OMGImInPattaya

[mfd101]

I'm in southern Surin province (Phanom Dong Rak area) and there are certainly plenty of earwigs around at the moment, including in the house (family farm, modern Western-style house). Not quite plague proportions (that would be the small ants that get into everything in the kitchen if it's not in the fridge) but quite noticeable - and I've never noticed them before, say 6 months ago.

[Bangkok Barry]

I've had many of them at my place in Kalasin province for several weeks now. Not exactly a plague, but there might be three or four in or outside the house at any one time. Haven't had that happen before. Didn't used to see any at all. Maybe the recent cold weather has now killed them off!

[MockingJay]

Sorry for having to break this to you, but Obama is involved in this somehow... It was a US black op! They dropped billions of those earwigs here to confuse the expat population in LOS in a frantic attempt to drive them back into their homelands, so they'd finally could stop boozing and messing about with Thai girls and do something useful, like joining the army, or the marines, and doing drone strikes and stuff...

Edited February 1, 2016 by MockingJay

[phitsanulokjohn]

EARWIGO.

[Mousehound]

Earwigs are Dermaptera and are no real problem but watch out for Rove beetles that are very like earwigs but without the cerci (pincers). These can be nasty. They give of very powerful toxins that can result in severe blistering and other problems.

[Brer Fox]

I have been waiting for years to read a story about earwigs and now voila! Totally gripping news.

[DrTuner]

Oh, a bug. I thought the 80's hairstyles were making a comeback. Brrrrr.

[joeyg]

Had a large garden in San Diego. Lift a rock or a board there were hoards of them. If they get a hold of you the right way they can give you a good pinch. Never found a problem with then though and I haven't noticed any in Thailand yet either up in Issan or Bang Lamung but I'm sure they're there.

I've seen them eat a tomato that had fallen off the plant or some other rotting vegetable. I don't recall ever seeing them eating anything healthy on the vine. Now you got my curiosity. I want to see exactly what do they eat and are they a good predatory insect...

Ah ha... http://www.orkin.com/other/earwigs/what-do-earwigs-eat/