Order Dermaptera—Earwigs

Abstract

The representative members of the order Dermaptera are European Earwig and Ringlegged Earwig. European Earwig was first observed in North America at Seattle, Washington, in 1907. This insect is omnivorous and feeds on a wide variety of plant and animal matter. It inflicts significant injury to vegetables, fruits, and flowers. It causes injury to bean, beet, cabbage, celery, chard, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, pea, potato, rhubarb, and tomato. It consumes aphids, spiders, and springtails. The most important natural enemy of European Earwig is the European parasitoid Bigonicheta spinipennis, whose life cycle is completed annually and overwintering occurs in the adult stage. The life cycle includes egg, nymph, and adult. Egg is pearly white and elliptical. They are attended by the female, who frequently moves the eggs around the cell, and apparently keeps the mold from developing on the eggs. Females guard their eggs from other earwigs and fight with any intruders. There are four nymph stages; they have the same general form as adults except that the wings increase in size with maturity. The adult normally measures 13–14 mm long. Despite the appearance of being wingless, the adults bear long hind wings folded beneath the abbreviated forewings. Earwigs are nocturnal and the night-time activity is influenced by the weather. Stable temperature encourages activity and is favored by higher minimum-temperatures. Social behavior is weakly developed in European earwig. It damages both vegetables and flower crops by leaf consumption and fruit injury. Their population monitoring is accomplished with baits and traps. Residual foliar insecticides and baits containing toxicant are used to suppress earwigs.