Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Earwig Update

The earwig mother is continuing to watch over her eggs, keeping them clean and moving them deeper into the burrow each day (probably because of my presence). I've been monitoring the burrow almost daily for the past week since I last wrote concerning the earwig, and it's been fascinating to observe her constant modifications to the structure of the burrow and the position of the eggs.

1.

2.
You see she's constructed a dirt barrier around the mouth of the burrow.

3.
Now you see she's fortified the dirt barrier. Note also that she's filled in the large depression in the soil around the burrow that was present in earlier photos.

4.
She's removed the barrier and the mouth of the burrow is elongated again. The depression is again present.

5.
The eggs are more exposed now. Perhaps she's been cleaning them.

6.
She's brought the eggs deeper into the burrow now.
The entrance resembles the mouth of a cave.
Only her cerci and one leg are visible. 
7.

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