Earwigs
Common Name
Scientific Name
European Earwig
Forficula auricularia
Identification:
The adult European Earwig is about 5/8 of an inch long, they have wings but they are rarely used, its body is a reddish-brown color, and its legs are yellowish-brown. There is one distinction between males and females being the males forceps in the rear are more pincher like, where as the females are straighter. The nymph of the European Earwig looks like the adults but lack wings and are smaller. The eggs are oval and white or cream colored.
Biology:
The European Earwig is one of the few insects where the female guards the nest. During late winter to early spring the female will sought out a nesting site where she will lay her eggs. This is normally in soil, under logs, or under stones.
She then lays her eggs 20 to 50 eggs, huddling them together, and stands guard of her nest until they hatch. She will stay with her young and provide maternal care and protection until they molt at least one time, when they are ready to go out of the nest. The young will continue to go to the nesting site during the day for shelter, and once they have molted a few more times they are large enough to fend for themselves.
Habits:
European Earwigs are more active during the night, and are hidden during the day. They are sometimes found huddled together in cracks and crevices until night time when they go out to forage for food. They may eat other small insects, but mainly they eat flower petals, soft vegetables or fruits, or seedling plants when the weather is hot. This insect prefers damp, cool, and dark places to live. When found outdoors they are normally seen under rocks, mulch, in trash, under wood piles, in compost piles, under logs or in trees, etc. If this type of earwig is found indoors, it is common to find them in basements, crawlspaces, near windows or doors frames, and bathrooms, feeding on greasy or oily food particles and houseplants.
