Order: Dermaptera
Family: Forficulidae
Genus: Forficula
This is a European earwig, Forficula auricularia, which is one of the more common species. This species was introduced from Europe in 1912, and has since become widely dispersed throughout North America. Some earwigs are predatory, but most feed on living, dead or decaying vegetation. (1,2) F. auricularia can become a plant pest when prey is scarce, causing damage to crops, fruit trees, and garden flowers. In Portland, Oregon in 1924, they became such a devastating problem that a state of emergency was declared and the city established a Bureau of Earwig Control. Normally, though, they pose only a minor threat. (1-4)
Forficula auricularia – European Earwig
Forficula auricularia – Close up side view of the head
Forficula auricularia – Close up view of thorax
Forficula auricularia on Bugguide.net
Forficula auricularia on Wikipedia
(2) Milne, L.J. and M. Milne, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders, (1980), New York, A.A. Knopf.
(3)Cranshaw, W., Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs, (2004), Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
(4) Arnett, R.H., American Insects: A handbook of the insects of America North of Mexico, (1985), New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
