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Editor's
Note: We
are finally including an image of the European Earwig, Forficula
auricularia from Essig's book Insects and Mites of Western
North America. The males have the long curved forceps.
Earwig
(05/29/2007) Wat is this bug, round two?
Helps if I attach the picture . . . Here is an insect that
showed up this Spring. It has so far only made an appearance
on the North side of the house, and has wandered inside a
few times. My son says he has been bitten by one. I have found
that they crawl into things that are left outside, including
my work gloves. My wife had a pot of flowers that she received
for Mothers day and had left outside, and the inside of the
pot was very wet, as there was no drainage in it as we found
out later. When she dumped it, she says it was full of the
bugs. So what is it. We are located in Albuquerque, NM
dale
Hi Dale,
This is an Earwig. Their habit of crawling into dark places
probably lead to their name as they will crawl into a person's
ear, an occurrance that was probably more common when straw
mattresses were common. Earwigs can pinch with their forceps,
but this is not painful, nor does it break the skin. Earwigs
can be extremely plentiful if conditions ore conducive.
Earwig
(12/06/2006) Need Help
Thanks a lot for nothing. I found out what type of bug it
is. If you're not going to respond then you need to take the
link down. I've noticed that you've posted several bugs since
I first posted this message. Is anybody ever going to respond
to my message about this bug I found. I've searched all over
the internet and no responses from anybody. Yet, I look at
your site and I see new pictures and emails posted. My gosh,
is it that difficult to find help!!! I am resending this message.
Feel free to post on your site if you like. But, please respond
and let me know what these little critters are. Thank you
very much.
Chris from Huntsville, Alabama
I've been searching for this particular bug on your website
and can't seem to find it. It looks like the bug on your homepage
on the left hand side right above ASK WTB. I've taken a couple
of pictures and hopefully you can identify this bug for me.
I've seen just a few in my attic and from time to time in
the children's bedroom and other parts of the house. Please
Help. Attached are the pictures. Thanks,
Chris Smith
Dear Demanding Chris,
This is an Earwig. Nowhere on our site is there any guarantee
that we will answer every letter. In addition to working several
jobs, we are very active in community service and some days
we can only post one letter, and that takes time. Just for
the fun of it, we have decided to forward all the mail our
site received today to you. Perhaps you can answer everyone.
P.S. Did your mommy do your homework???
White
Earwig Newly Molted
(04/11/2006) Whitewig?
Hello,
Love your site! I used it regularly to ID strange bugs in
and near my house. The other day while pulling weeds here
in San Diego I disturbed this little guy. He was about the
size of a regular earwig although his abdomen looked a little
longer to me, and obviously, he's white. I'm curious, is there
such a thing as an albino earwig, or do they look like this
normally at a subadult stage, or is it possibly something
unrelated that just LOOKS earwiggy?
Thanks very much,
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
This is an Earwig. We believe it is a freshly molted specimen
that hasn't darkened. We will check with Eric Eaton to get
his opinion. Eric responded: " The earwig is indeed a freshly-molted
specimen. There really is no such thing as an albino insect.
There are white phases of some of the sulphur butterflies,
but that is about it. Pale-colored specimens of other insects
are typical of arid environments."
Earwig
Impailed: This one for the Birds!!!
(03/27/2006) Perplexed
Hi, and thank you for taking the time to read this email.
I noticed a small (maybe 1/4") insect on the tip of a
thorn of a small cactus in my back yard a couple weeks ago.
I didn't think much of it, but decided to take a close-up
photo of it last Sunday; after reviewing the photo, I was
shocked to see that the insect was in fact impaled! Since
that time, I've wondered how this could have happened. I sent
an email, including the same attached photos (two different
cameras), to an entomologist at a local university and received
the following response: "The earwig you see impaled could
have been blown by the wind. They have been very strong lately.
I see this with winged male ants after a mating flight. Great
photos!" With all due respect to the PhD. who replied
to my question, I still don't see how this could have happened,
even in a high-wind environment (in my estimation, the winds
haven't been THAT strong in So. Cal.). Also, notice that the
earwig is impaled on a vertical thorn, meaning that the wind
gust which led to its demise had to be strong enough to lift
it off the ground then pound it down on the thorn with sufficient
force to pierce its hardened thorax... incredible. I'm totally
perplexed. I would be interested to hear whatever thoughts
or opinions you may have about this. As I told the PhD. at
Cal Poly Pomona, this is not a joke or an altered photo, and
no one goes into my back yard other than me. Thanks again
for your time,
Richard Marr
San Dimas, CA
Hi Richard,
First of all, we don't think our art degrees can stack up
to a PhD in Entomology, but we do have another thought. The
wind or some other freak accident of nature could be responsible,
and I doubt if you have the resources to call in the CSI to
see if foul play could be afoot. Our theory is a bird. Some
birds, including we believe jays (and
shrikes), are known to impail insects on thorns and return
for a meal later. That is the best we can offer.
Update (03/29/2006)
Hi bugman. The SHRIKES- either Loggerhead or Northern - frequently
impale insects on twigs and thorns as a way of "putting food
aside for later". Both species can be found in CA in winter.
Jill
Ringlegged
Earwigs: Dead of unknown causes
Unidentified Beetle??
Hi,
I need help identifying this beetle. I looked through the
beetles on your site and couldn't find one quite like this
one. I started seeing larvae in our bedroom in late September.
(About the time my antique bedroom suite came back from being
refinished and stored in a warehouse. I was worried that they
came with the bed.) The larvae looked similar to carpet beetle
larvae. In fact the people who came to spray suggested that
is what they were. Then they started to get larger. They are
now crawling around the house. (They are not in any cabinets.)
We had them come spray again and they could not identify the
bug. We clean and vacuum all the time and they seem to keep
coming back. Can you help us identify the bug so that we get
rid of it? We live in a rural area near Memphis, Tennessee.
The bug varies in size from .5 centimeter to 1.5 centimeters.
The legs have are brown and varied. Please help! My son will
be crawling soon and I want these critters gone!
Thanks!
Laura
Hi Laura,
The insects in your photo are Earwigs, not Beetles. They often
enter homes, being attracted to lights, but they are basically
harmless. The pincers can give a slight nip, but really can't
break the skin.
Update from Eric Eaton (01/04/2006)
" The earwigs are ringlegged earwigs, a pretty common, flightless
species in urban areas."
WTB? is Chastised!!!
(05/06/2006) earwig carnage answer
Mr. Bugman,
I am almost totally impressed by your site and your knowledge.
Way cool nonetheless. "Almost" because I'm a bit disappointed
by your answer to the person in Tennessee who hired a pest
sprayer who couldn't even identify an earwig (not high standards
there fer sure). It seemed like a teaching moment, especially
since she was more concerned about the presence of a harmless
insect than the fact that she is spraying her house needlessly
with a baby around. And she shouldn't be hiring a total ignoramous
to deal with her bug issues. Or maybe the carpet bug ID was
a deliberate ruse to encourage her to spray.
Dave Tamayo
Sacramento, CA
Earwig
(08/08/2005) Earwig
Hello,
I recently sent you a picture of a Great golden digger wasp
that I found digging a hole. I thought you might enjoy this
photo of an Earwig that I took today as well. I find myself
searching out bugs now that I found your site.
Jay
Hi Jay,
We have been online entirely too long this morning. The plants
need watering and morning chores must begin. We had to post
your photo before logging off. thanks.
Artist's
Rendering of an Earwig
(08/08/2005) unknown critter
Hello WTB,
After an hour of surfing the web and looking at hundreds of
pictures of bugs I am still yet to learn what kind of bug
I found crawling around my apartment. I am coming to you in
search of answers. I noticed this particular insect when I
was cleaning my room the other day and became extremely curious
as to what kind of bug this is, considering I have never seen
it before. It is no longer than a thumbnail. It's body is
black, but it's legs are a very light brown color (almost
transparent). It's body is oddly shaped and has a pincher
or "claw" on it's backside. I will say that it is
a very strong critter because it took a lot more than I expected
to kill it (I know, I know, I probably shouldn't have killed
it, but I did not know what it was and it creeped me out).
I assume that it uses it's "claw" to catch things
to eat because before it died I poked it's pincher with a
small wooden skewer and it closed its pincher on the skewer.
Any information you might have as to what this insect may
be will be oh so helpful to me.
Thank you,
Deborah
PS- I found it on my bedroom floor away not near an outside
door. My location is in Lafayette, Louisiana if that is to
any help. I also attached a sketch I drew of the specimen
with a sketch of a fingernail file for reference to the size
of the insect. Thanks again.
Hi Deborah,
We love your rendering of an Earwig. Those pincers are known
as forceps and they do grasp prey as well as performing other
tasks. They are omniverous feeders, sometimes doing damage
in gardens. They love our roses. They are often attracted
indoors, but are generally outdoor critters.
Earwig
(07/20/2005) Can you identify this bug?
My friend in Texas found this bug in her daughter's
bedroom. Do you know what it is? Thanks! Tonja
Hi Tonja,
This is an Earwig. They are harmless, though frightening looking.
Those pincers can give a very mild nip, and are incapable
of breaking the skin. They are sometimes attracted to lights
and find their way indoors, but are not household pests. Sometimes
they get very numerous in the garden where they may eat tender
plant shoots and buds.
Linear
Earwig
(06/16/2005) what type of earwig is this?
Not knowing the first things about insects other than I see
them everyday, this one caught my attention for some reason.
After reading little about insects and more specifically
earwigs within the past hour I was even more intrigued by
this little guy. I read that they are nocturnal and look
for dark moist areas to rest in during the day. When in
fact this guy was actively pursuing another (live) bug in
the hot south texas sun. The temperature is about 95 degrees
and the sun is bearing down making the walkways a hundred
plus. What was he doing "hunting" in the middle of the morning?
Even more, what was he doing up in the hot sun? I also couldn't
help but notice that in comparison to all the artistic renderings
as well as photos of earwigs, this guy is a little different.
his circi (word I just learned by the way) is exceptionally
longer and larger than any photo I have found. The tip is
also different in that he has "hooks" at the end. This said,
I was hoping you could help me identify this particular
earwig. He is every bit 2" in total length. Maybe he is a
Texas Earwig. Little humor there. Thanks in advance for
your response. If the pic does not open just throw a .jpg
at the end. Sometimes my mac is contrary sending files to
others. Thanks,
Andrew Harris
Hi Andrew,
When we need a real expert, we just write to Eric Eaton. He
was very excited about your image and would like to see it
posted on BugGuide, if you don't mind. Here is his reply:
" Wow! Stupendous image of a linear earwig, Doru
lineare. We could use this image on bugguide if
the contributor wants to share. Very cool. "
Earwig
(03/10/2005) IDing this bug
Hi, I'm trying to identify this bug. I am no etymologist,
but I believe this is a picture of an Earwig. If you could
please identify this bug, I would be grateful.
Thank you for your time,
-T_fx2
Dear T_fx2,
Yes you have an earwig.
Earwig
(08/04/2004) What's this bug?
This is probably a common bug but I've never seen one before.
It was on my front door here in Philadelphia. Does it
use the tail to attack? If so what kind of enemies would
it face? Thanks guys!
eFertLIS
Dear eFertLIS
You have sent in a photo of a common Earwig. They fly and
are attracted to lights. Those foreceps can give a mild nip,
but will not break the skin. They are used to catch and manipulate
prey as well as to fend off enemies. Your Earwig is male European
earwig, Forficula auricularia. Trophy male with those forceps!
Earwig
(07/05/2004)
I found this bug in a comforter that had been sitting on the
carpet a couple days. First, I thought it might be a
pantry beetle, but I'm not sure pantry beetles have a pincher
at the end. It looks like it would REALLY hurt if this
thing bit someone. Can you help me identify it so I
will know how to proceed with extermination?
At last, a reader has sent in a photo of an earwig. You
don't need an exterminator. They are sometimes attracted to
lights.
(5/12/03)Found
bug crawling out from a crack in my wall, the house it like
50 or so years old..... Live in Kentucky it is light brown
six legs antennas and pinchers on the back, it can curl
up and when it flips over its lighter brown torwards the
front of it. Thanks
Dear
Kentucky,
I believe you have an earwig which can get quite plentiful
in damp locations. We have additional information on our
site.
Greetings,
We have this weird bug in the house that I have not been
able to identify in any of the "household pest"
lists, so maybe you can help.
It's a warm weather bug, starts out small (1/2 inch) at
the beginning of the season and now is an inch to an inch
and half. They seem to come out mostly at night, but we
have seen a few during the day. The body has 2 segments,
blackish brown with lighter colored legs on each side and
can crawl fairly fast across the carpet or up on the walls.
The weirdest part is a tail that looks kind of like a crab
claw or a pincher that's the same color of the legs. It
can be up or down, open or closed. I believe they originally
came from the outside like the lady bugs and the box-elder
bugs, but once they got in, they haven't left. We don't
see them in the winter, but I don't think they've actually
left; they're probably just dormant then. Any info would
be helpful. Thank you for your time and attention,
--Julie
Hi
Julie,
You have earwigs. We at What's That Bug have gotten many
questions about earwigs since beginning this column. They
belong to the order Dermaptera.
They frequent debris piles, stacks of lumber, compost piles
and rocks that can be overturned. It is believed that their
common name originates from the Anglo-Saxon word earwicga
(ear worm) since they often found their way into the ears
of sleepers on straw mattresses in sod huts. Their outstanding
physical characteristic is the forcep pincers on the rear
end of the abdomen. Earwigs are active a night. They can
be attracted to lights and one species in particular, the
European Earwig (Forficula auricularia), which has wings
that are hidden under wing shields, is often a nuisance
indoors. Despite having wings, they rarely fly, preferring
to keep the wings hidden from view and to scuttle about
in the dark. Though earwigs have an undeserved reputation
for being garden pests since they sometimes chew tender
young plants, they prefer to eat other insects, and are,
in fact, beneficial. I think an internet search for earwig
will provide you with photos that support my identification.
(2/18/02)Dear
What's That Bug,
I have densely planted the
"earth" in front of my apartment building. Along
with broken glass and mammalian excreta, one of the chief
components, by volume, of this earth is earwigs. These can
be readily observed with a flashlight after dark, teeming
about. Many plants are unaffected. However, some will be
set upon at a young age and razed entirely - a four inch
high clump of poppies will easily be eliminated in two nights.
I don't know why some small plants are attacked and not
others of similar size and age. Just as frustrating is the
earwigs' appetite for flower petals which are quickly riddled
with holes and finally eaten to shreds soon after they unfold
to the sun. Diatomaceous earth doesn't slow them down (in
any quantity). I don't want to spray "poison"
- What can I do?
Dear
m r k n
According to Hogue, no one
is sure of the origin of the name earwig (Order Dermaptera)
but "one guess is that the early Anglo-Saxons, who
named them earwicga (ear beetle or worm) and who lived in
sod huts, where these insects also lived, occasionally found
them in their ears upon waking from a sound sleep on a straw
mattress. The warm and tight ear opening of a slumbering
person might well have been a snug hiding place for these
crevice-loving creatures." Earwigs are omniverous,
and are considered beneficial because they actually devour
many insect pests, but like any flesh eater, they
occasionally crave some vegetable matter, and what better
than tender young sprouts and flower petals? If you have
an aversion to pesticides, we strongly suggest that you
clean up the dog shit outside your apartment.
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