Earwig, European Earwig
Forficula auricularia
This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:
Queen Creek, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Cloverdale, California
Lompoc, California
Los Angeles, California
Reseda, California
San Diego, California
Stockton, California
Denver, Colorado(2 reports)
Wilmington, Delaware
Atlantic Beach, Florida
Bartow, Florida
Holiday, Florida
Griffin, Georgia
Roswell, Georgia
Grayslake, Illinois
Prospect Heights, Illinois
Spring Grove, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Warrenville, Illinois
Davenport, Iowa
Farmington, Michigan
Fenton, Michigan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Derry, New Hampshire
Moorestown, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Mechanicville, New York
Syracuse, New York
Greensboro, North Carolina
High Point, North Carolina
Columbus, Ohio
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Albany, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
MILTON FREEWATER, Oregon
Milton-Freewater, Oregon(2 reports)
Portland, Oregon
Prineville, Oregon
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Alvin, Texas
Houston, Texas
Pleasant Grove, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Vernal, Utah
Pomeroy, Washington
Rainier, Washington
South Hill, Washington
Tonasket, Washington
Waukesha, Wisconsin
show all
LJL2006
LJL Moorestown,NJ
A10toes
Pandypeg
clareb
I am neutral about earwigs when they eat decomposing plant matter.
I am rather negative about earwigs when they feast on my annuals. (Please see submitted photos.) I have had earwigs decimate the blooms off of calibrachoa plants, riddle coleus leaves with holes, and strafe egglplant leaves. This feasting occurs every year and, if left unchecked, causes great damage to the plants. Despite the damage to its leaves, the eggplant doesn't seem to be bothered much while the calibrachoa and coleus have been chewed to near death.
I harbor particularly negative feelings for earwigs when I see that they have chewed the petals entirely off of my calibrachoa flowers (nicotiana as well).
... read more
Theminkman
Hastur
I find them under hay bales, when I turn the bales over after a good soaking. I also find them in any piles of clippings or leaves that I may have - including the ones that are a part of the garden beds.
I have never been bitten or stung by one, but they definitely are not completely harmless. I've found a couple in tomatoes before, and the weirdest surprise of all was to find that a couple of my potatoes had been being worked on by some. Nothing huge, and if they like to eat rotting stuff, it would definitely explain why the bugs are found where they are.
wallaby1
They do have a positive side, they eat other pest insects and eggs as well as pollen. They are very fond of corn tassles, eating them and hiding between the top protective sheaths, but I have never found them to damage the corn unless I have split the skins to see if they are ripe. Maybe if they were prettier people wouldn't hate them so much, shame on we humans!
The female is a very caring mother, she lays around 50 eggs in an underground nest in the autumn. She goes... read more
Malus2006
jazzzy704
kill these. I use a liquid and only spray the base of my house and 6"
of soil next to the house to create a barrier to entry to my home.
porchpet
mypetalpatch
AmandaTaylor7
It creeped me out at first because the "pincher" tails looks fiercer than they are. I was afraid that they would pinch my newborn daugther and infect her with something. This of course, did not happen (new Mommy worries - others can relate, I'm sure!).
These bugs mostly stay on the carpet at my home and die shortly after entering the house (within a day or two). Found them in cabinets, too, as well as a few other dark places. I usually find the dead ones at/near the baseboards in my home. As far as I can tell, they have caused no harm and we began spraying the house and yard (we h... read more
palmbob
However, they are not totally harmless to plants, sometimes nibbling at small bits of living plant tissue. Generally, though, they are saprophytic, eating dead plant and animal material. I find them in my palms a lot, where they seem to hide in... read more
blossombloom