Earwigs are small, elongated insects belonging to the order Dermaptera, recognizable by the prominent pair of forceps-like pincers, called cerci, located at the rear of their abdomen. These insects range from dark brown to reddish-brown and are commonly found across the globe. The common name may stem from the appearance of their unique, fan-like hindwings, which resemble a human ear when unfolded, or from an ancient superstition that they crawled into people’s ears. Despite their somewhat menacing appearance, earwigs are generally harmless to people, using their pincers mainly for defense, mating, and capturing prey.
Environmental Preferences and Shelter
Earwigs need environments that are consistently dark, cool, and damp to prevent dehydration. They are nocturnal, spending their daylight hours hidden away in tight, protected spaces. This preference for being compressed into narrow openings is a behavior called positive thigmotaxis, which explains why they favor crevices and cracks.
They seek refuge under objects that maintain soil moisture, such as flat stones, loose bark, logs, and thick layers of leaf litter. Female earwigs excavate small nests in the soil, often near a protective object, to lay and guard their eggs. They are classified as moisture pests and only venture out at night to forage when the air is cooler and more humid. If their outdoor environment becomes too dry, too hot, or oversaturated with water, their primary drive is to locate a more suitable, moist shelter, which can lead them closer to human structures.
Dietary Needs and Feeding Habits
The earwig’s diet is highly flexible, making them omnivorous scavengers that consume a wide variety of organic materials, both living and decaying. Their most consistent food source is decaying plant matter, including fallen leaves, rotting wood fragments, and other organic debris. This scavenging habit makes them beneficial decomposers that help recycle nutrients back into the soil.
Earwigs are opportunistic predators that consume small, soft-bodied insects and their eggs. They feed on common garden pests such as aphids, mites, and insect larvae, offering a natural form of pest control. However, if their preferred food sources are scarce, they will readily feed on tender, living plant material. This results in damage to garden plants, where they chew irregular holes in the leaves of vegetables like lettuce and celery, or consume soft fruits and flower petals like dahlias and marigolds.
Common Attractants Leading to Human Contact
Earwigs are often drawn into the vicinity of homes by conditions that mimic their need for darkness and moisture. External moisture sources near the foundation are a strong initial attractant, including leaky outdoor spigots, dripping air conditioning units, or clogged gutters directing water toward the base of the house. Poor landscaping grade that causes rainwater to pool against the foundation can also create the damp soil conditions they seek.
Accumulations of organic debris and harborage sites immediately next to the structure provide daytime shelter. This includes thick layers of mulch, piles of dead leaves, grass clippings, or dense ground covers like ivy. Stacks of firewood stored against the house are particularly attractive, offering numerous tight, dark, moist crevices. Earwigs are also drawn to bright outdoor lighting during nocturnal foraging, which causes them to congregate near entry points and accidentally wander into a home through small cracks and gaps.