| Earwigs |
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 3/8-5/8" (9-15 mm) including abdominal forceps. Body reddish brown to almost black. Antennae, legs, and elytra yellow. Underside yellowish brown. Forceps reddish brown; male's curved, female's almost straight and parallel. Short wings do not cover abdomen. Range Eastern Canada and southern New England; also the Pacific Northwest. Gardeners often lure these tiny insects by spreading poisoned bran sweetened with molasses. In California a parasitic tachinid fly has been introduced from Europe as an attempt at natural earwig control. Life Cycle Female digs cup-shaped nest in upper soil, deposits mass of up to 30 oval grayish-white eggs, and stays with them until a few days after they hatch. Nymphs mature in about 10 weeks. Eggs and adults over winter in soil or under boards and stones. 1 or 2 generations a year. Habitat Dark damp crevices and ground litter; grasses, herbs, shrubs, trees, and even buildings. Earwigs eat vegetables, orchard fruits, garden flowers, garbage, as well as mites and insect larvae and pupae. Call Vanish Pest Control for pest control Central Valley and throughout San Diego County; we provide complete pest control services. |