Earwig (order Dermaptera)

InsectNocturnalGarden

Overview

Earwigs (order Dermaptera) are slender, flattened, brownish insects instantly known by the pair of curved pincers (forceps, called cerci) at the rear of the abdomen. The common European earwig (Forficula auricularia), shown here, is the familiar garden species. Those rear pincers look fearsome but are used mainly for defence, capturing prey, folding the delicate hind wings, and courtship — and a male's are more strongly curved than a female's.

Earwigs carry an enduring myth: that they crawl into people's ears to burrow into the brain. This is folklore, not fact — earwigs do not seek out ears or tunnel into brains, and they are harmless to people.

Note: “earwig” covers an order of many species; details here use the common earwig as a reference. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Earwigs are found nearly worldwide in temperate and tropical regions, in gardens, fields, woodlands, leaf litter, and around homes. They like cool, dark, damp, tight spaces — under bark, stones, logs, and plant debris, and in crevices — where they hide by day, emerging at night to forage. The common earwig is very familiar in gardens and sometimes wanders indoors.

Diet

Most earwigs are omnivores and opportunists, eating a mix of plant matter, decaying material, algae, fungi, and other small invertebrates (including aphids and insect eggs). This makes them a double-edged presence in gardens: they can nibble soft plants, seedlings, flowers, and ripe fruit, but they also eat aphids and other pests and help break down decaying matter, so they are often more helpful than harmful.

Behavior

Earwigs are mostly nocturnal, hiding by day and coming out at night to feed, and they are gregarious, often clustering together in shelters. Many have wings — with remarkable, intricately folded hind wings tucked beneath short forewings — though they fly only rarely. The pincers are versatile tools: for defence, subduing prey, and courtship displays. Most striking is earwig parenting: the female is an unusually devoted mother for an insect, laying her eggs in a burrow and then guarding them, cleaning them of mould, and tending the young nymphs after they hatch — a rare degree of maternal care among insects.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Earwigs are harmless to people — the brain-burrowing story is pure myth, and their pincers can at most give a tiny, harmless nip. In gardens they are usually minor and often beneficial, helping control aphids and recycle debris, though they occasionally damage soft plants or fruit. They are common and not of conservation concern. Simply removing damp hiding spots manages them where they are unwanted. Consult authoritative sources for details on specific species.

More photos of the earwig