Forficula auricularia
Dermaptera: Forficulidae
Identification
• This insect is reddish-brown, up to 5/8"
long, and elongate with posterior pincers.
• Pincers on males are curved like ice tongs. Pincers on females
are straight and are held close together.
Damage
• Earwigs eat the leaf and flower petal margins of lettuce,
marigold, zinnia, rose, daylily, ageratum, and other flowers and leafy
vegetables.
Management
• Reduce decaying organic matter such as fallen leaves and mulch.
• Shake insects out of leafy vegetables and prune away damaged
areas.
• Trap earwigs overnight in rolled newspapers.
• Apply insecticides to the leaves, but not the blooms of attacked
flowers.
Other Information
• Earwigs also feed on decaying organic matter, aphids, fleas,
and other insects.
• Earwigs are nocturnal and hide in cracks and crevices during
the day.