European Earwig
Other Name(s): Earwig
Characteristics: Contrary to popular belief, earwigs do NOT crawl into human ears and bite or pinch people. In fact, earwigs are harmless.
Their pincers are formidable in defense against other earwigs (males fighting for females) or predators. The pincers also help the earwig fold its wings closed.
They have wings, but rarely fly.
Adults of this species hide under objects by day. They are considered beneficial in gardens because they eat aphids. If prey is scarce though, they may damage flower blossoms of fruits and vegetables, making themselves more of a pest.
General Adult Size (Length):
9mm to 17mm
(0.35in to 0.67in)
Identifying Colors: brown; yellow; red; orange
North American reach includes (may not be limited to): Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Eastern Canada
Category: Earwig
Common Name: European Earwig
Scientific Name: (Forficula auricularia)
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Dermaptera
Family: Forficulidae
Genus: Forficula
Species: auricularia
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