THE EUROPEAN EARWIG AND ITS CONTROL. 5 



DISAGREEABLE HABITS OF CONCEALMENT. 



The adult earwigs hide very quickly if disturbed by a sudden light 

 or some unusual noise. During the day they hide in any crevice, 

 fold of clothing, or even behind a convenient leaf which offers pro- 

 tection. Thus one finds them in large numbers on the porches, behind 

 the chair cushions, under the rugs, and in folds of awnings. On one 

 estate, each morning when the porch awnings were let down, over 

 a quart of earwigs dropped out and were swept up and burned. 

 The writer has seen at least 300 adult earwigs in one of the servants' 

 halls at Newport. They were behind the cushions in the chairs, in 



Fig. 6. — Normal, uneaten dahlia plant. (Original.) 



folds of lace curtains, and even on the table. Bedrooms and bath- 

 rooms of the finest houses may be invaded by occasional adults in 

 spite of careful watchfulness and screens. They are decidedly 

 repulsive when found crawling rapidly over the walls or furniture 

 at night. The stories about bodily harm done by these insects are 

 all without foundation. 



AREA INFESTED. 



The evidence at hand regarding the area infested previous to 1914 

 is very meager. It consists of data drawn from conversations with 



