DEAR SUN SPOTS: I need help in a hurry. I’ve been invaded with earwigs. They are everywhere, all over the outside foundation, and now they have entered my home. They are everywhere.

You are so helpful with so many problems; I hope you can help me. Many thanks in advance. — Desperate in Peru

ANSWER: Sun Spots visited several sites online (www.getridofthings.com, www.servicemagic.com, www.dkmommyspot.com and www.ehow.com). Take heart, they said that the earwigs aren’t nesting in your house, merely looking for dark damp places to hang out.

Earwigs are attracted to moist places, such as the area around your house’s foundation. getridofthings.com recommends replacing wet dirt with gravel and eliminating entrance points such as ground-floor windows by using weather-stripping. You can also use boric acid to create an effective barrier and kill the little buggers.

Once they are in your house, your vacuum is your best friend. Have it ready when you enter the room, as they will scatter. Afterwards, dispose of the bag in a sealed container.

ehow.com recommends rolling up newspaper, wetting it and placing it in areas where you’ve found earwigs. They will crawl into the damp newspaper and then can easily be disposed of. Another homemade trap can be made using low-sided cans filled with oil, or you can purchase commercial traps.

There are a number of insecticides on the market that will kill earwigs. servicemagic.com said the most effective involve using a hose to disperse the chemicals into the ground. Be sure to follow the directions exactly.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Androscoggin Habitat for Humanity will be holding a huge garage sale on Friday and Saturday, July 30 and 31, on Sanborn Road in Monmouth.

There are many books, collectables, craft items, furniture and much more. All proceeds collected will help Androscoggin Habitat for Humanity fund future home builds.

For more information, please contact Kim Veilleux at 786-2598 or via email at androhabitat@aol.com. We thank everyone in advance for their support! — Deborah Leonard, deborahleonard@androhforh.org

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Is there a garden tour this year? I didn’t see anything in the paper. — No Name, Lewiston

ANSWER: If you are referring to the tour held by the Maine Music Society, it will not be held this year.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Part of the three-day French Canadian music series this weekend will be the song session at 10 a.m. in room 170 at the University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College. Come and sing along with some traditional and new French songs.

The Franco-American Collection at USM-LAC already has a music section. We invite anyone with French songs handed down in your family to bring along the sheet music or music books. Show us your family’s traditional music. If it is not yet in the collection, we could make a copy of it.

The Franco-American Collection Reading Room welcomes your visit and will be open from 9:30 to 10 a.m. and again a half-hour after the song workshop Friday.

There is no charge for the song session. For more information about any part of the 3-day program, call Cindy Larock at 782-0386. We will enjoy this! — Annette Vance Dorey, Franco-American Collection board of directors at USM-LAC

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