Ear what?

One of our technicians recently told me he has seen a lot of earwigs lately.  I don't know about you, but that name is just funny to me.  I can't help but picture an ear in my mind with a red, curly, Napoleon Dynamite-type wig sitting on it.  Well, here is what an earwig actually is:



male earwig-photo courtesy of animal.discovery.com

The scientific name is Greek for "skin" and "wing", but the common name earwig comes from the Old English words for "ear" and "insect".  There's an old wives tale that earwigs burrowed into the brains of people through the ear while they were sleeping and laid their eggs there.  The truth is they prefer dark, damp areas rather than the typical bedroom, and they lay their eggs under rocks or damp wood.  However, I did find this picture and couldn't resist!

photo courtesy of aboutpest.com

The common earwig was introduced into North America in the early 1900s from Europe.  They tend to be more common in the southern and southwestern states.  Earwigs are nocturnal and hide in small, moist crevices during the day.  They feed on a wide variety of insects and plants.  Although earwigs have wings, they rarely use their flying ability. 

The most distinguishing feature of earwigs is a pair of forceps pincers protruding from their abdomen.  The pincers are used to capture prey and defend themselves.  In males, the pincers are curved (see top photo), while females have straight pincers (see below).  Although they cause little harm to humans, I don't think I want those pincers anywhere near me! 

female earwig-photo courtesy of ArtMechanic; wikipedia.org