Forficula auricularia

Identifying Features

European earwigs are 1/2" long and have a shiny brown to black body with light brown leggs. They have short forewings and long antennae. Male earwigs have curved pincers, while females have straight pincers at their hind ends.

Habitat & Range

These earwigs live in damp forests under logs and leaf litter. They are found throughout many parts of the world, including across North America. They are native to Europe, Eastern Asia, and Northern Africa.

Behavior

European earwigs are nocturnal. They feed off of flowers, fruit, and insect larvae.

Life Cycle

Females will dig a burrow to lay their fertilized eggs in. Eggs will hatch in the spring, and the young stay with their mother for 2 months before becoming independent.

Featured image by Wes Digital