Class: Insects
Size: 1 to 5cm
Weight: Variable
Age: 6 o 24 months
Appearance: Red-brown carapace
Sexual dimorphism: Yes
Diet type: Omnivorous
Food: Aphids, caterpillars, plant material
Distribution: Worldwide, over 1’000 species, 34 in Europe
Original location: Europe
Sleep-wake rhythm: Diurnal
Habitat: Unspecific
Natural enemies: Birds and others
Mating season: All year round
Egg laying: Up to 50 eggs
Threatened with extinction: No

• Earwigs (Dermaptera) are widespread flying insects all over the world.
• The names of these tracheal animals are not due to the fact that they crawl into ears or pinch them, but because they were ground into powder as medicines to treat ear infections. The term “earwig”, still in use today, is derived from the Latin epithet “auricula”.
• There are more than a thousand earwig species worldwide, 34 species known so far are native to Europe.
• In Europe, the earwig (Forficula auricularia) is the most widespread species.
• Earwigs originally came from Europe, but spread to America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand through shipping during the colonial period.
• It has a length of about two centimetres, other species such as the giant earwig can grow up to five centimetres long.
• The body is dark reddish brown, the wings are distinctly vestigial and only capable of limited flight.
• The most striking feature of earwigs are the pincers at the end of the abdomen, the so-called cerci. The female cerci are much shorter and straighter than the male cerci, which are more inwardly curved.
• The cerci serve the earwig for hunting, courtship and defence.
• There are stink glands on the abdomen. These produce secretions and can also protect the earwig from attacks by predators.
• Earwigs are light-shy insects, they are therefore nocturnal. A damp and warm environment has a great attraction for them. They are often found under wooden boards, stones, piles of leaves and in cracks in walls.
• In many species, several animals form so-called sleeping communities by retreating together into hiding places.
• Earwigs feed mainly on plant material and organic waste, but also like to eat smaller insects. Since caterpillars and aphids are also food sources, they are considered useful insects by gardeners.