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Forficula auricularia (Linnaeus, 1758) European earwig, adults 13mm to 14mm length.(exclusive of the pincher-like cerci .
The European earwig, Forficula auricularia, is a predatory insect with omnivorous feeding habits that unfortunately damage some economic crops. Also, they are a nuisance by contaminating most vegetables with their presence. In contrast, earwigs can be beneficial due to their predatory habits.
The European earwig is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, but has been introduced to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Earwigs have concealed long hind wings, which open and close very quickly. At the tip of the abdomen adults have a set of cerci which can be used in defence, they can lift the abdomen in a forward direction over the head or sideways; to engage a foe which is often another earwig. The cerci is a distinctive feature of earwigs, in the male the cerci are strongly curved whereas in the female they curve only slightly.
Earwigs are nocturnal, in the daytime they stay hidden under leaf debris, in cracks and crevices. Night time activity is influenced by weather conditions, stable temperature encourages activity.
The male and female mate in the autumn. They overwinter in a constructive nest, at the time of oviposition the female will drive the male away from the nest.
The female attends the nest and is a very protective of her eggs and will fight fellow earwigs and other intruders. The eggs will be repositioned and cleaned continuously to avoid fungi, this also provides optimal temperature and humidity for her eggs. Although the female normally keeps the eggs in a pile, when hatching approaches; she spreads the eggs in a single layer. After hatching, females continue to guard the nymphs and provide them with food. Food is provided by females carrying objects into the nest, and by regurgitation.
The omnivorous feeding earwig, feeds on a wide variety of plant and animal matter. At the same time, it can inflict substantial damage to vegetables, fruit, and flowers. Bean, beet, cabbage, celery, chard, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, pea, potato, rhubarb, and the tomato are all vulnerable to the earwig.
Seedlings and plants providing the earwigs with good shelter, such as the heads of cauliflower, the stem bases of chard, and the ears of corn, are particularly likely to be eaten, and also to be contaminated with faecal material. Among the flowers most often injured are dahlia, carnation, pinks, sweet william, and zinnia.
Ripe fruit such as apple, apricot, peach, plum, pear, and strawberry are sometimes reported to be damaged.
Spiders, caterpillar pupae, leaf beetle eggs, scale insects, springtails and particularly aphids are frequently eaten. So the earwig is both a friend and foe to the grower.
In the images below, show both male and female, the female has the smoother upright cerci.
Read MoreThe European earwig, Forficula auricularia, is a predatory insect with omnivorous feeding habits that unfortunately damage some economic crops. Also, they are a nuisance by contaminating most vegetables with their presence. In contrast, earwigs can be beneficial due to their predatory habits.
The European earwig is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, but has been introduced to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Earwigs have concealed long hind wings, which open and close very quickly. At the tip of the abdomen adults have a set of cerci which can be used in defence, they can lift the abdomen in a forward direction over the head or sideways; to engage a foe which is often another earwig. The cerci is a distinctive feature of earwigs, in the male the cerci are strongly curved whereas in the female they curve only slightly.
Earwigs are nocturnal, in the daytime they stay hidden under leaf debris, in cracks and crevices. Night time activity is influenced by weather conditions, stable temperature encourages activity.
The male and female mate in the autumn. They overwinter in a constructive nest, at the time of oviposition the female will drive the male away from the nest.
The female attends the nest and is a very protective of her eggs and will fight fellow earwigs and other intruders. The eggs will be repositioned and cleaned continuously to avoid fungi, this also provides optimal temperature and humidity for her eggs. Although the female normally keeps the eggs in a pile, when hatching approaches; she spreads the eggs in a single layer. After hatching, females continue to guard the nymphs and provide them with food. Food is provided by females carrying objects into the nest, and by regurgitation.
The omnivorous feeding earwig, feeds on a wide variety of plant and animal matter. At the same time, it can inflict substantial damage to vegetables, fruit, and flowers. Bean, beet, cabbage, celery, chard, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, pea, potato, rhubarb, and the tomato are all vulnerable to the earwig.
Seedlings and plants providing the earwigs with good shelter, such as the heads of cauliflower, the stem bases of chard, and the ears of corn, are particularly likely to be eaten, and also to be contaminated with faecal material. Among the flowers most often injured are dahlia, carnation, pinks, sweet william, and zinnia.
Ripe fruit such as apple, apricot, peach, plum, pear, and strawberry are sometimes reported to be damaged.
Spiders, caterpillar pupae, leaf beetle eggs, scale insects, springtails and particularly aphids are frequently eaten. So the earwig is both a friend and foe to the grower.
In the images below, show both male and female, the female has the smoother upright cerci.
