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Earwigs
Latin Name: Forficula auricularia
Common Name: European Earwig
Latin Family Name: Dermaptera
Other Names: Pincher bugs
Pest Details
Origin:
Probably from Europe or Asia, but this species is now found throughout the world. It was first found in the U.S. around 1907 near Seattle, Washington.
Biology:
One of about 7 species of pest earwigs in the U.S., the European Earwig is the most common. It has a simple life cycle, requiring 3 to 5 months to go from egg to adult, depending on temperatures. Adults generally live only about one year. Adults are capable of some flight. Earwigs feed primarily on plant material, but also are predators on many other insects.
Identification:
Earwigs are most easily identified by the strong "pincers" at the hind end, as modifications of their cerci. These are used for defense, food capture, and some other uses. Wings on adults consist of the hind pair used for flight,
Latin Name: Euborellia annulipes
Common Name: Ringlegged Earwig
Other Names: Red-legged earwig
Pest Details
Origin:
Believed to be native to Europe, but now found throughout the world. It is found commonly in the southern states of the U.S. and less commonly in most of the other U.S. states and north to southern Canada as well as Hawaii.
Biology:
This is the most common earwig species in Florida but rarely reaches damaging populations, being primarily a nuisance pest. Adults overwinter deep in the soil. Females deposit up to 7 clutches of eggs during warm weather with around 50 eggs per clutch. There typically will be 2 generations per year in warm regions. These earwigs will feed on some amount of plant material, but most of their food is other insects and they are considered to be highly beneficial as predators.
Identification:
The adults of this species are without wings. They are less than 3/4 inch long with females
Latin Name: Labidura riparia
Common Name: Striped Earwig
Other Names: Tawny earwig, striped earwig, giant earwig, common brown earwig, shore earwig
Pest Details
Origin:
Several hundred native species occur in North America.
Biology:
This is a cosmopolitan species that is found throughout the world, often occurring near aquatic habitats. Despite its status as a “pest” it is a voracious predator that feeds on many other insects and mites, with reports that it can eat up to 20 armyworm caterpillars in one night, or consume 25 scale crawlers in 60 seconds. It also feeds on aphids and in lab settings would consume any other insect offered to it, grabbing the prey insect with its forceps and then eating it with its mandibles. It feeds on plant materials only when no living prey is available and it is considered a beneficial insect. As with other earwigs the female lays a clutch of eggs in a protected cavity, guards them, and moves them