Have you enjoyed an earwig lately? Earwigs are one-inch little brown insects with fork-like rears. Many people are scared of them. People think they bite, but earwigs basically just use their pincers (or pinchers) to reach for food. They also use their pincers to grab their young and defend themselves. Earwigs like to hide in shadowy damp areas and emerge mostly at night.
Why are they called earwigs? In years past people often slept on the floor, especially outdoor workers. People wore wigs, often to sleep. Wigs provide nice shadowy sleeping places for resting earwigs. At evening dark, they emerge to eat veggies, aphids, slugs and leftover food plants. People spying this hair exit began calling them earwigs.
More common hiding places are dark, moist places such as cracks or crevices, or beneath stones, boards, or debris on the soil surface. They can be found hiding in garden plants, shrubbery, along fences, at the base of trees, and behind loose boards on buildings. Mulch in flower beds and around trees and shrubs are also great habitats for earwigs.
You have probably heard the rumor that earwigs use their pincers to bite. It is possible that, while defending themselves, earwigs can give a teensy nip. At this time, they may give off a stinky yellow-brown liquid.
If you get them in your home, check your bathroom and kitchen plumbing. They may have found a cozy entrance. There are smells that earwigs don’t like. Before reaching for pesticides, try peppermint, cinnamon, vinegar or Eucalyptus oils mixed with water and turned into sprays. Or try dish soap and water for earwig prevention. Just spray it in areas where you’ve noticed them crawling. Remember to vacuum regularly. Perhaps you have nothing more exciting to do today.
Earwigs use their pincers in courtship rituals. You can identify your earwig guests via their pincers. Those of male are slightly curved, female forceps are straighter. I have heard there are people keeping earwigs as pets in a glass cage. I have not tried this myself, but it may excite you to watch their mating ritual.
Males wave and bob their forceps in the air to attract females. Males use their pincers to stroke and grasp the female. Females nibble on the forceps to receive chemosensory input. Baby earwigs look like adults without wings. They transform in about a week.
Insects are so fascinating. Really.
