Earwigs Bite

You must have heard of stories that go like 'an earwig slowly creeping over the bed sheet, climbed over her pillow. The minute she turned around in her sleep, the nasty fellow popped into her ear. He remained in the dark, moist corners of her ear and laid a hundred eggs. The larvae slowly ate up her brain that made her go crazy!!'. Or another story that says, 'he accidentally got an earwig bite. Poor fellow, he had to be hospitalized, the poison spread all over his body'. Well, if you too have heard such similar urban legends about the earwig, then you too must be wondering do earwigs bite humans. The first story is an absolute myth, as till date there have been no reporting of a earwig in ear. Besides, earwigs have distinct sexual morphism, so how could 'he' lay eggs? And second story may have been an exaggeration of a simple pinch of an earwig that may have led to an infection. Earwigs are neither poisonous nor venomous and they do not crawl into human ears. Let us break more myths about these urban legends in the following paragraphs.

What is an Earwig?
An earwig is a type of insect that belongs to the phylum Arthoropoda. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America in 1900's by the Europeans. The earwigs are considered as pests, as they are known to destroy foliage, flowers and crops. An earwig is a nocturnal creature that has a pair of forceps like pinches present on its abdomen. Earwigs also feed on a variety of insects. They have membranous wings folded underneath their short fore-wings. They rarely fly, even though they are capable of doing so. They have 3 pairs of legs and are either red or brown and sometimes black in color. Their head is often dark red in color. There are over 20 types of earwigs, of which the European earwig and ring legged earwigs are most common in North America.

In a year, the earwig tends to undergo 5 molts. The earwigs show a rare ability of maternal care that is not so common in the insect world. The female earwig cares for her egg and even after the nymphs hatch. She will continue to watch over them till the second molt of the nymphs. With molting, the sexual dimorphism of the nymphs become clear as the shapes of their pincers become visible. The males have curved pincers and females have straight pincers. The pincers help in capturing prey and defending the earwig.

Earwigs display maternal care instinct that is very rare in insects. She will care for her eggs and continue to do so even after they hatch. This maternal care will continue till the nymphs complete their second molt. As they molt, their sexual dimorphism becomes clearer as the shape of their pincer can be seen.

The earwigs are scavengers and can be predatory in nature or have an omnivorous diet. Their flexible and muscular abdomen can help to open and close the forceps or pincers. Earwigs are known to eat decaying plant and animal matter if need arises. The carnivorous earwig preys on insects like plant lice, blue-bottle flies, etc. They even feed on a variety of plants like dahlias, zinnias, clover, hollyhock, strawberry, celery, sunflower, plums, grapes, roses, potatoes, beets, grass, corn silk, etc.

In human habitats or homes, they hide in small, dark and moist areas. They can be seen walking over walls and ceilings and probably near sinks and bathrooms. They prefer living in openings or cracks in walls during daytime. They are found in many areas around the world.

Bites or Pinch: Are Earwigs Dangerous?
An earwig bite is almost legendary and is often associated with injuries caused by other insects. Earwigs do not bite, but rather pinch. The pinch is really painful, but is not known to carry or transmit any kind of disease. Earwigs are not venomous and their bite may lead to a secondary infection if scratched by nails. If one ever gets bitten by an earwig, you need to wash that area carefully and disinfect the area with a disinfectant. You need to look out for any broken pincers or curved forceps left back in your wound. So the answer to do earwigs bite humans is yes, they may bite, if threatened or sat upon by mistake. But their bites are rarely dangerous and not known to cause any major harm, just a bit of pain for sometime.

Earwig Pest Control
Now, that you have observed an earwig infestation in your garden, you must be looking for ways to get rid of earwigs. These pests rarely colonize indoors and if you do observe them inside, it maybe because you have something moist within your home or they are in to escape the cold temperatures outdoors. If there are earwigs in the house, look for cracks in your door, windows or foundation. Find the source of entry and get the door, window or screen fixed right away. You can even apply caulk or weather stripping to keep them out and get rid of earwigs.

Next, look out for moist areas, wet leaves, loose stones and rotting newspapers around your house. Clean up everything that is rubbish and moist and make sure your foundation is dry. Clean the rain gutters and sprouts and keep them a bit away from the house foundations.

You can make traps to catch these pest. Take a newspaper and roll it up and secure it with a rubber band. Then moisten it in water and keep it in the area you observed the earwig infestation. Leave it overnight and in the morning you will observe the earwigs in the newspapers. Pick it up carefully and put it in a plastic bag. Throw away the plastic bag with the newspaper in garbage to get rig of earwigs. You can even apply boric acid or boric powder in areas you observe the earwigs. This is an effective way of earwigs pest control, but works only if the pests walks right through it.

There are many insecticides available that contain pyrethrins for an effective earwigs pest control. The chemical pyrethrin is not harmful to humans and pet dogs. You need to mix the powder with water and spray it around the house starting from your foundation to a radius of 6 to 10 foot. Spray the mixture in the cracks and crevices that you suspect helps the earwigs gain entry into the house. Read the instructions carefully before using any kind of earwig insecticide.

This was some information related to earwigs bite and how to get rid of earwigs. Earwigs do not cause harm to humans and their bite is similar to a bad pinch. You need to be careful and follow some prevention steps to avoid getting bitten by these tiny insects.