A good year for earwigs

This isn't a great shot, as the wee thing was scuttling around the wheelbarrow, trying to escape. I've noticed that they seem to be having a good year this year - they're everywhere! One of their favourite places is the milk box outside my front door. When I go to get the milk in, they scatter.

I know that they're not a popular insect. Keen gardeners treat them as pests because they nibble flowers and lettuce and stuff, but they'll also eat aphids and other pests. People who don't like creepy-crawlies are also keen to exterminate them.

I like them. I wonder how many earwig-haters realise that female earwigs are good mothers? She tends her eggs and her young for a long time.

Wikpedia says:

"Earwigs are among the few non-social insect species that show maternal care. The mother will pay close attention to the needs of her eggs, such as warmth and protection, though studies have shown that the mother does not pay attention to the eggs as she collects them. The mother has been shown to pick up wax balls by accident, but they would eventually be rejected as they do not have the proper scent. The mother will also vigorously defend the eggs from predators, not eating unless an egg goes bad. Another distinct maternal care unique to earwigs is that the mother continuously cleans the eggs to protect them from fungi. Studies have found that the urge to clean the eggs persists for days after they are removed; when the eggs were replaced after hatching, the mother continued to clean them for up to 3 months.

"The eggs hatch in seven days. The mother may assist the nymphs in hatching. When the nymphs hatch, they eat the egg casing and continue to live with the mother. The nymphs look similar to their parents, only smaller, and will nest under their mother and she will continue to protect them until their second molt in about July. The nymphs feed on food regurgitated by the mother, and on their own molts. If the mother dies before the nymphs are ready to leave, the nymphs may eat her."

Not many people know that.