Shannan Hammer, age 12, of Billings, Mont., for her question:

WHY DO WE CALL IT AN EARWIG?

Earwig is the common name for a number of pesky insects that are found throughout the world. Earwigs were so named because of the false idea that they sometimes crawl into human ears. They don't crawl into ears.

An earwig is completely harmless to man although he is regarded as a pest that will feed on flowers and fruit. The creature is a nuisance in the house and garden.

An earwig is slender and usually less than an inch long. It may be either brown or black. It has a distinctive forceps like appendage that extends from the rear of its abdomen.

The records show that the earwig apparently came to the United States in some cargo from Europe early in the 1900s. In the U.S., it is most common in the New England, Middle Atlantic and Northwestern states. It also is a common pest in parts of Canada.