Catseye Pest Control

Earwigs are beetle-like, short-winged, fast moving insects about 1/2 - 1 inch in length.  They have chewing-type mouthparts, a pair of pincer-like appendages at the tip of their abdomen and are dark brown in color.

Earwigs usually hide in cracks, crevices, under bark or in similar places during the day, but are active foragers at night.  They are usually scavengers in their feeding habits, but occasionally feed on plants.  This information is very important to remember when killing earwigs that invade homes. 

Earwigs cause no physical harm to humans.  Certain species have scent glands from which they can squirt a foul-smelling liquid. This is probably used for protection; however, it makes them very unpleasant when crushed.

The striped earwig adults are dark brown with light tan markings. The males are large and robust with stout pincers. The females are somewhat smaller and lighter in color than the males. These earwigs are in areas having sandy or clay soils, and it lives in subterranean burrows or under debris. They are usually found outdoors unless populations are large or other conditions are adverse. They enter structures in search of food, a more suitable environment or just by accidental meandering.

Because of their nighttime activity, they remain in the soil or under debris during the day. Heavily thatched lawns or mulched flower beds are among their preferred daytime habitat. At night they collect in large numbers around street lights, neon lights, lighted windows or similar locations where they search for food. Favorite foods include armyworms, aphids, mites and scales. They also forage on food scraps or dead insects.

The female lays about 50 tiny eggs in a subterranean burrow. The eggs hatch into nymphs in about 7 days and the nymphs feed on their egg case. The female continues to care for the young, grooming and manipulating them in the burrow throughout the first nymphal stage. The young nymphs are about one-eighth inch long.