Earwig - Garden Earwigs

The name earwig comes from a superstition that the insects would enter the ears of a sleeping person and tunnel into the brain. Fortunately, this is not true. Earwigs are not a major pest; however they do feed on flowers and can be a nuisance inside homes. Unusually wet springs and summers tend to intensify earwig infestations. There are approximately 22 species of earwigs in the USA. The major earwig species in the northern region of the USA is the European earwig, Forficula auriculari.

Adults are pale-brown to reddish-black in color. They are 1/4 to 1.0 inches long and the body appears flattened. The front wings are short and meet in a straight-line down the back. The hind wings are membranous and folded underneath the front wings. Both the males and females have large, pincers (cerci) that stick out from the back of the abdomen. The pincers are used in defense for protection against predators or to capture prey. Earwigs resemble rove beetles, but rove beetles do not have cerci.

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