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Earwigs - Order Dermaptera Order: Dermaptera) » Forficulidae » Forficula » European Earwig - Forficula auricularia Live adult earwigs photographed in Florida, USA. |
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Earwig is the common name given to the insect order Dermaptera characterized by membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings (hence the literal name of the order—"skin wings"). The abdomen extends well beyond the wings, and frequently, though not always, ends in a pair of forceps-like cerci. With about 1,800 recorded species in 10 families, the order is relatively small among Insecta. Earwigs are, however, quite common globally. There is no evidence that they transmit disease or otherwise harm humans or other animals, despite their nickname pincher bug.
Physiology The abdomen of the earwig is flexible and muscular. It is capable of maneuvering as well as opening and closing of the forceps. The forceps are used for a variety of purposes. In some species, the forceps have also been observed in use for holding prey, and in copulation. The forceps tend to be more curved in males than in females. Most earwigs found in
Europe and North America are
Forficula auricularia, the European earwig, which is
distributed throughout the cooler parts of the northern hemisphere.
They feed on other insects, plants, ripe fruit, and garbage. Plants
they feed on typically include
clover,
dahlias,
zinnias,
butterfly bush,
hollyhock,
lettuce,
strawberry,
sunflowers,
celery,
peaches,
plums, grapes,
potatoes,
roses, seedling
beans and
beets, and tender
grass shoots and roots; they have also been known to eat
corn silk, damaging the corn. Typically they are a nuisance
because of their diet, but normally do not present serious hazards
to crops. Some tropical species are brightly colored. Occasionally
earwigs are confused with
cockroaches because of their cerci and their long antennae.
Earwigs are most active at night and can be seen patrolling
household walls and ceilings. Interaction with earwigs at this time
results in a defensive free fall to the ground below, and the
subsequent scramble to a nearby cleft or crevice.
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Earwigs are also drawn to damp conditions. During the summer they can be found around sinks and in bathrooms. Earwigs tend to gather in shady cracks or openings or anywhere they can remain concealed in daylight hours. Picnic tables, compost and waste bins, patios, lawn furniture, window frames or anything with minute spaces can potentially harbour these unwanted residents. Upon gaining entry to the basement and living areas of the home, earwigs can easily find cover in undisturbed magazine and newspaper piles, furniture/wickerwork, base boards, carpeted stairways, pet food dishes, and even inside DVD cases and keyboards. Earwigs are inclined to take risks and are exploratory creatures but are overly unaware of the consequences and are often found trapped in poison baited cups or buckets of soapy water.
While earwigs can be considered in some ways a beneficial part of the garden, they can become a nuisance because of their diet. Since they prefer cool, moist places, a rolled up damp newspaper placed where earwig activity is suspected can be effective in collecting them. The newspaper can then either be discarded or shaken out. Placing diatomaceous earth in key spots around the home (bathroom, baseboards, window frames) can be a long-term repellent. Another method of removing earwigs is by utilizing their attraction to vegetable oil. Putting vegetable oil in a pie tin and burying it up to the rim of the tin is an effective way of capturing them. Another effective method of earwig control is to take steps to control the population before they hatch by removing rotting underbrush and spraying with commercially available insecticidal nematodes, which invade the earwigs in their nymphal stage and infect them with a lethal bacterium. Some persons report being able to reduce
earwig populations around the house by trapping. Place burlap bags,
boards, newspapers or other cover material on mulch, shrubbery and
similar habitats. Collect individuals that congregate under the cover
and discard. As a last resort insecticides can be sprayed around the
house to stop or limit earwigs from getting indoors. Treat a three to
six foot band around the house adjacent to the foundation (perimeter
treatment). Apply a home garden or turfgrass insecticide labeled for
this purpose as needed and according to label directions. Applications
in late afternoon are preferred. Use sufficient spray water (or
post-treatment irrigation) to move the insecticide through mulch
materials to the hiding places underneath. Insecticides available for
this use by homeowners in Iowa include carbaryl (Sevin), cyfluthrin,
permethrin and several more. |
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