Summer 2017 we were overwhelmed by snails and worm of various species. Summer 2018 was long, hot, and dry. We hardly saw any. But of course they are there. Occa

Summer 2017 we were overwhelmed by snails and worm of various species. Summer 2018 was long, hot, and dry. We hardly saw any. But of course they are there. Occasionally, the cats drag in an earthworm. Last winter, mice moved into the house in numbers. We heard them occasionally saw them, cats were constantly on edge, and the mice somehow managed to thrive on catfood. This winter, not a rodent in sight. And this winter so far has been clement. come summer, I expect we'll see snails and worms and mice up to normal - though probably not excessive levels. Not claiming there are no longer term downward trends. There may well be. I'm not qualified to judge. But often wonder why the huge year-to-year variability of small, fast-breeding species is so rarely touched upon in this kind of article. Small critters can bounce back in force within very short intervals, given anything resembling decent conditions.