Earwig: The Misunderstood Insect with the Wrong PR Agent

When I was a child, the word earwig was enough to make people shiver. It carried the weight of a centuries-old superstition — that these little creatures would crawl into our ears at night and burrow into our brains. It sounded like something out of a horror film, not real life. But here’s the truth: earwigs have no interest in our ears. In fact, they’re far too busy folding their remarkable wings, caring for their young, and hunting tiny garden pests.

The more I’ve studied insects, the more I’ve realized that earwigs are not villains — they’re simply victims of bad publicity. And like so many misunderstood creatures, they have a story worth telling.

A Name That Shaped a Myth

The name earwig comes from Old English “ēare” (ear) and “wicga” (beetle or insect). Early Europeans believed that the delicate, semicircular hindwings of the earwig looked like the shape of a human ear — but folklore took it further. People began to imagine that these insects were meant for ears.

It’s a reminder of how names can shape fear. Just as the Death’s Head Hawkmoth was burdened with an ominous skull-like marking, the earwig’s name has become a self-fulfilling prophecy of misunderstanding.

An Ancient Survivor

Earwigs belong to the order Dermaptera which literally means “skin wings”, referring to the earwig’s short, leathery forewings that protect the delicate fan-shaped hindwings underneath. This is small yet ancient group of insects with around 2,000 known species. They have been on Earth since the Jurassic period, surviving dinosaurs, drifting continents, and dramatic climate shifts.

Equipped with nature’s own forceps, perfected over 150 million years, they are proof of a design so effective that evolution has left it almost unchanged. When nature keeps a body plan intact for that long, it’s evolution’s way of saying, “This works.”

Distribution: From Gardens to Forest Edges

Earwigs are cosmopolitan — found almost everywhere except Antarctica. In India, they live from coastal plains to hill slopes, from gardens in Mumbai to forests in the Western Ghats. Their adaptability comes from their simple needs: food, moisture, and shelter.

Anatomy: Built for Tight Spaces

Look closely at an earwig and you’ll see a slender, flexible body, perfectly designed for slipping into narrow cracks. Their short forewings, called elytra, act like a little leather case that protects the real marvel — their hidden hindwings.

And then there are the cerci — the unmistakable pincer-like appendages at the end of the abdomen. They look intimidating but are mostly tools:

• For defense against predators.

• For courtship displays during mating.

• Even for helping fold and unfold those extraordinary wings.

At first glance, their shape can make them look like rove beetles — another group of insects with short forewings and elongated bodies. But once you see those cerci, there’s no mistaking an earwig.

The Origami Wings: A Masterpiece of Design

Hidden under the forewings is one of nature’s greatest engineering feats. The earwig’s hindwings are broad, delicately veined, and — when spread — shaped remarkably like a human ear.

But the real wonder is in how they fold. Imagine packing a large silk scarf into a case the size of a coin — without creasing it. Earwigs fold their wings into a space 10 times smaller than their spread size, using a combination of natural hinges, tension, and precise movements.

Scientists studying origami-based engineering have looked to earwigs for inspiration, especially in designing foldable drones, solar panels, and space equipment. The irony is that an insect once feared for crawling into ears may someday help deploy satellites in space.

Scientists have studied the structure, materials, in-flight reinforcement, and even the bistable properties of these wings. Yet the precise geometric rules that govern their complex crease patterns have long remained something of a mystery. Interestingly, most earwigs rarely fly. Their wings are emergency tools, used when a quick escape is needed — like a parachute stored away for a rare but crucial moment.

Male vs Female: A Subtle Dance of Shapes

In the insect world, size and shape often hint at gender differences, and earwigs are no exception. Males have more curved, robust pincers; females have straighter, slimmer ones. It’s a bit like comparing a scimitar to a rapier — both are effective tools, just shaped for different purposes.

These differences aren’t just ornamental. Males sometimes spar with their pincers, competing for mates. Females, on the other hand, use theirs more for defense and protection of offspring.

Habitats: Where to Find an Earwig

Earwigs are secretive. By day, they vanish into damp, dark places — under bark, stones, leaf litter, or even tucked into flower heads. At night, they emerge to feed.

Their need for moisture explains why they thrive in gardens, compost heaps, and forest floors. A sudden lift of a flowerpot or a stone can reveal them scuttling for cover.

This is where fear often begins: we discover them in unexpected places, and their sudden, rapid movement startles us. But that’s their instinct — to flee danger, not to seek confrontation.

🥗 Diet and Role in the Food Web: The Gardener’s Frenemy

Earwigs are true omnivores — a trait that makes them both garden helpers and occasional troublemakers.

On the plant side, they enjoy tender shoots, flower petals, and ripe fruit. On the animal side, they act as natural pest control, consuming aphids, mites, insect eggs, and small larvae. This makes them the classic “gardener’s frenemy”: one night they’re protecting your vegetable patch, the next they’re sampling your prized dahlias.

But earwigs don’t just take from the ecosystem — they give back, becoming an important link in the food chain.

Their small size and abundance make them a valuable food source for many predators. Ground dwelling birds pluck them up during dawn foraging. Frogs, toads, and lizards take them during damp nights. Even hedgehogs, shrews, and bats will snack on them when opportunity arises.

Among invertebrates, ground beetles, assassin bugs, and spiders won’t hesitate to catch an earwig, despite its menacing nature’s own forceps and occasional chemical defenses.

In short, earwigs are both predator and prey, pest controller and plant nibbler — a small but essential thread in the larger fabric of garden and forest life.

Defense: Bluff and Retreat

When threatened, earwigs put on a show. They raise their pincers, sometimes flex their abdomen, and look ready for battle. In reality, they prefer retreat over fight.

Some species add chemical warfare to their defense, releasing foul-smelling secretions from abdominal glands. To a predator, this cocktail of visual bluff and chemical deterrent is often enough to make them look unappetizing.

Earwigs Romance

Courtship in earwigs is more complex than one might expect from these modest little insects — and yes, the pincers play a starring role. Males use their cerci in displays and competition for mates.

The courtship ritual involves the male tapping and stroking the female’s abdomen with his forceps, even presenting them for inspection. Females respond by gently nibbling the male’s forceps, possibly gaining chemical cues that help them decide if he’s a suitable partner.

Male earwigs also have extraordinarily long genitalia, known as virga. In some species, the virga can be as long as the male’s entire body — even twice the length of the female’s. Research suggests that these elongated structures may serve more than one purpose: when withdrawn, the brim-shaped tip of the virga may also help remove sperm from previous mates, giving the current male a better chance at fathering the next generation.

A Mother’s Care: An Unexpected Tenderness

Perhaps the most surprising chapter in the earwig’s story is maternal care.

Unlike most insects that lay eggs and leave, female earwigs guard their eggs, carefully cleaning them to prevent fungal growth. After the eggs hatch, she continues to protect the young nymphs, feeding them and sheltering them until they can survive on their own.

If we were to imagine earwig family life in human terms, we might picture grateful young ones giving their mother a warm hug . Reality is much harsher. In some species, the young prepare to leave the nest by making a meal of their mother. This behavior, called matriphagy, is not unique to earwigs; it’s found in some other insects and spiders as well. From an insect’s point of view, it’s a practical strategy. The mother provides a rich, immediate source of nutrition, and the young don’t need to risk venturing outside the safety of the nest to feed. Research shows that this “final provisioning” from the mother increases the offspring’s chances of survival once they disperse. It’s the ultimate sacrifice — the mother’s life ensures her young leave the nest strong and well-nourished.

In the insect world, this is rare. Earwig mothers challenge our assumptions — they remind us that even in the smallest creatures, there can be extraordinary tenderness.

🐜 Earwigs as Pets: Curiosity in a Small Box

For most people, the idea of keeping an earwig as a pet might sound odd. But for educators, naturalists, and even curious children, earwigs make excellent “micro pets” — not for cuddling, but for observing.

They are low-maintenance:

• A small ventilated container, a layer of moist soil or cocopeat, and a few pieces of bark or rolled cardboard for hiding spots are all they need.

They are fascinating to watch:

• Their nocturnal foraging, careful cleaning, and even the rare display of unfolding wings offer endless moments of discovery.

They are educational:

• Observing an earwig up close transforms fear into understanding.

• In classroom projects or nature clubs (like your Caterpillar Club), they provide a live demonstration of insect behavior, parental care, and ecology.

Of course, observation should always respect the insect’s well-being:

• Avoid frequent handling — it stresses the insect and risks a defensive pinch.

• Release them back to their natural habitat once observation is complete.

Sometimes, replacing a myth begins with seeing a creature not as a threat, but as a living being with a story — even if that story unfolds in a small glass jar on a school desk.

Precautions: Look, Don’t Touch

While earwigs are harmless to humans:

• Avoid picking them up — they may pinch in self-defense.

• Like all soil-dwelling insects, they can carry dirt or microbes. The best way to appreciate an earwig is to observe it in its natural setting, without disturbing it.

The Bigger Lesson

Earwigs are a perfect example of how fear is often rooted in misunderstanding. They are quiet contributors to the ecosystems they inhabit, but centuries of myth have overshadowed their true role.

In my work, I’ve seen how a single night of light-sheeting can change someone’s perception of moths. I believe the same can happen for earwigs. The more we look, the more we learn — and the more we replace superstition with respect.

So next time you see an earwig scuttle from under a stone, pause before reacting. Watch it. Think of its ancient lineage, its origami wings, its attentive parenting. You may just see an old “villain” in a new, more deserving light.