Earwigs have a very distinctive appearance. These are relatively small insects, 4-40 mm long, with a very flattened and elongated flexible body, bearing at the top of the abdomen two long chitinized processes - mites. The earwig's head is almost heart-shaped with forward-facing chewing mouthparts; thread-like antennae located on it different types have different number segments - from 8 to 50. The outer integument of the body is always very dense, highly chitinized.

One of characteristic features The structure of earwigs is their aircraft. Their front pair of wings is greatly shortened and turned into hard, leathery elytra. The soft, membranous hind wings are very wide and fan-shaped; on their anterior edge there is a horny plate. IN calm state the wings are folded like a fan along the veins, and then twice more across and are hidden under the elytra, from under which only the ends of the hard horny plates protrude outward. The legs are usually of the running type, relatively short, with 3-segmented tarsi.

The relatively elongated abdomen consists of 10 segments; the “pincers” located at its end are modified cerci; they are not divided into segments and are often armed with various teeth and projections. In males, ticks are much more developed than in females. The shape and size of mites are very variable. Within the same species there are males with short and long ticks.

Ticks are, first of all, an organ of defense and attack. If an earwig is disturbed, it will assume a defensive posture. In this case, the abdomen bends upward and forward, as a result of which the ends of the ticks are located above the head and chest. It is characteristic that in some species, for example our common earwig(Forficula auricularia), the motor muscles of ticks are so highly developed that they can pierce human skin with them, drawing blood. Pincers are also used to hold captured prey while eating.

The most ancient form of earwigs is known from Jurassic deposits in the Karatau mountain range (southern Kazakhstan) and is described under the name Protodiplatys fortis (Fig. 164). Possessing a number of characteristics typical of modern earwigs, including the characteristic structure of the abdomen and shortened, rigid elytra, this species had some primitive structural features. Thus, the number of segments on the legs is not three, but four or five; The cerci do not have the shape of ticks; they are thin, short and, moreover, divided into segments. The presence of this form in the Jurassic indicates the great antiquity of the order, and the primitive features of its structure indicate that it is an intermediate form between modern earwigs and their Paleozoic cockroach-like ancestors, which also had 5-segmented hind legs and short segmented cerci. It is interesting to emphasize that the last feature (multi-segmented cerci) is preserved in the larvae of some tropical species earwigs from the subfamily Diplatyinae, distributed in Africa, the Indo-Malayan region and Central America. Adult forms of these species have true unsegmented cerci - mites.

The modern fauna of earwigs consists of approximately 1200-1300 species. The vast majority of them are distributed in tropical countries, where rich forest vegetation combined with warm and humid climate creates favorable conditions for their existence. Only 26 species live in the USSR; of which is widely known common earwig(Forficula auricularia) is rusty or tar-brown in color with dirty yellow legs and elytra, about 1.5 cm long. This insect enjoys an undeserved bad reputation. You can still hear stories about how an earwig crawls into the ear of a sleeping person and, breaking through the eardrum, disables the hearing aid. None of this is true, and the fear of harm allegedly caused by this to a person is not based on anything.

The common earwig leads a hidden lifestyle, hiding during the day under stones, fallen trees, as well as under the bark of trees and old stumps. In such shelters, earwigs sometimes accumulate in large numbers. At night, on the contrary, they become very active; crawl out of their daytime shelters and quickly run in search of food, which can be very diverse and the composition of which depends on the characteristics of a particular place. It can feed on various parts of dead and living green plants, fungi and algae that develop under the bark, as well as animal food, including small insects.

Like all representatives of this order, the common earwig develops with incomplete metamorphosis. Mating occurs in late summer - early autumn, and it continues for several hours. After a few days, the female lays eggs in one common pile, in a specially prepared nest. The nest is a passage dug in the ground from 5 to 8 cm long, less often up to 15 cm. Usually the nest passage is made in the form of a straight tube, but sometimes it has a side branch. In this burrow, the female remains to overwinter along with the eggs and after overwintering she lays eggs again. Males usually do not survive winter well, and in the spring you can sometimes find their corpses lying near living females.

Females show a kind of care for the offspring, protecting the eggs until the larvae hatch from them. In this case, the female is positioned in the nest in such a way that she covers the laid pile of eggs with her head and front legs. She has to protect her offspring not only from external enemies, but also from the male and other females who are not averse to occasionally feasting on the laid eggs.

Typically, egg development lasts 5 to 6 weeks. The female continues to remain with her offspring for some time after the larvae hatch from the eggs, protecting them. The first instar larvae are similar to adults, differing from them in size, a reduced number of antennal segments (8 instead of 13-14) and a number of other characteristics. After the death of the mother, the larvae lead an independent life.

Due to its omnivorous nature, the common earwig sometimes becomes a pest Agriculture, as it can damage leaves, shoots, flowers and eat immature seeds.

In some cases, it harms cereals and various garden crops. In gardens, it damages flowers and leaves of ornamental plants, as well as fruits fruit trees, especially apples and peaches. There are cases where earwigs, crawling into living quarters, damaged wet linen, outerwear, or gnawed baked bread and ate out passages in it.

By its origin, the common earwig is a typical element of the European fauna, but thanks to humans it becomes almost cosmopolitan, as it was brought to North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. IN North America it is considered a quarantine object. It first entered Australia in 1934 and has since become a serious pest of ornamental and garden plants.

Many representatives of this order lead a lifestyle similar to that of the common earwig. However, in some cases, some types of earwigs are characterized specific features biology.

Prolabia arachidis takes care of its offspring in a very unique way, laying eggs containing larvae ready to hatch. However, the latter cannot break through the egg shell themselves and exit the egg. As soon as the female lays the egg, she turns her head towards it and removes the shell with her jaws, thus freeing the larva, which is still in a bent state. The female then licks the larva until then. until it straightens and begins to move. Then the female turns around again, lays the next egg next to the larva and subjects it to the same treatment. The entire process of egg laying lasts from 8 to 9 hours. During the first three days after hatching, the larvae are inactive; they stay close to each other, near the female, who guards them and licks them from time to time. It is possible that she feeds them during this period.

A typical cosmopolitan, distributed throughout the globe, is coastal earwig(Labidura riparia). Here it can be found as in deserts Central Asia, and in the forest zone, reaching Kirov in the north. However, within its range, the coastal earwig lives only on sandy and sandy loam soils along the banks of rivers, lakes and seas.

Almost as widespread in all parts of the world is small earwig(Labia minor) is one of the smallest species found in our fauna (body length 4-6.5 mm). Unlike most representatives of the order, the small earwig is active during daylight hours. It can be observed during the day in masses flying over heaps of manure taken to the fields.

Leads a daily lifestyle Asian earwig(Anechura asiatica), black with yellow spots on the elytra and wing plates, 10-16 mm long, with strong curved pincers. This species is widespread in Western and Central Asia. In the northern part of its range it is found in semi-deserts, and in the south mainly in the mountains. According to observations in the Karatau mountain range (Southern Kazakhstan), the Asian earwig is here in mass form, naturally performing seasonal vertical migrations. The places where the Asian earwig lays eggs and hatches its young are wet valleys and floodplains in the foothills of the ridge. The larvae hatch in the second half of April. They can be found in large numbers during the day on a wide variety of plants, the flowers of which are their main food. The larvae are especially active in clear sunny days. In the second half of May, fledging occurs. From this moment on, active migrations of the Asian earwig to the mountains begin. In the morning before sunrise, earwigs are in a torpored state under bushes or on the flowers of their food plants. As the sun rises, they begin to move and feed heavily, mainly on flowers and buds. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, i.e. by the time the earth warms up the most, a massive flight begins. They fly slowly, rising to a considerable height, sometimes higher than 100 m. A flying “band” of earwigs from a distance looks like a gray cloud. The massive flight lasts about two weeks. During this time, the Asian earwig completely migrates to the mountains and accumulates en masse on rocky slopes, where most plants bloom at this time. At the end of June, mountain vegetation begins to burn out. By this time, earwigs become inactive. They accumulate under plant bushes and stones and remain in this state in the mountains for the entire period of summer drought.

Unlike the Asian earwig, others mountain views not only are they incapable of flight, but they have even completely lost their wings. This is observed, for example, in Central Asian earwig(Mesasiobia hemixanthocara) is an endemic species from the Central Tien Shan. She lives in spruce forests subalpine belt, at altitudes from 1500 to 2800 m, where Schrenk spruce is found under the bark of stumps or dying trees.

Some earwigs live in lightless caves, and in some cases they have undergone very significant changes in their general appearance and body structure. So, Guinea cave earwig(Diplatys milloti) has a very long legs and antennae; at the same time, she has relatively poorly developed eyes and very pale pigmentation of the outer integument. Its larvae have long, segmented cerci.

The position of hemimers in the system has not yet been precisely determined: some scientists classify them as earwigs, identifying them in a special suborder, while others classify them as an independent order, different from the order of earwigs.

Animal life: in 6 volumes. - M.: Enlightenment. Edited by professors N.A. Gladkov, A.V. Mikheev. 1970 .

The earwig is an insect from the order Leatheroptera. Unlike other representatives, it does not go through the pupal stage in its development. The usual size is about 2 cm, but some individuals reach 8 cm in length.

Common earwig

The entire body of the insect is covered with shiny brown segments. Nutritional features are related to how it is structured oral apparatus at the earwig.

Unusualities appearance gives the presence of two tails, which are shaped like pincers or swords.

Earwig tail

The organs of touch - the mustache - help her navigate in space.

The insect is not endowed by nature with wings suitable for long flights - they are too short. Therefore, it rises only vertically and low from the ground.

Wings of the common earwig

Most of the time, the earwig crawls, moving on numerous short legs.

In ancient times, people thought that an earwig bite would lead to inevitable death. This opinion arose due to an erroneous assumption about what kind of oral apparatus the earwig has.

Earwig head close up

It was believed that the insect secreted a toxic substance to them. However, it later turned out that it is not dangerous to human life.

The insect does secrete a special enzyme with a pungent odor, but it is only needed to scare its natural enemies and in this way to protect yourself.

She can also bite if she is in danger. An adult may not even feel anything; no consequences from the bite will occur.

Children's delicate skin is more sensitive, so the child may feel discomfort and redness may appear in the affected area. This is due to the sufficient power that the earwig has in its mouthparts.

Skin irritation occurs in people prone to allergic reactions. In addition to a change in color, the bite is manifested by swelling; less often, seals appear that look like herpes.

To a greater extent, she manifests herself as garden pest. Her favorite delicacy is chrysanthemums and dahlias.

Earwig on a flower

It is these flowers that suffer the most damage when this insect settles on the site.

The earwig squad has a mouthpart strong enough to eat shoots and spoil crops and vegetables in the cellar. They are also enemies of bees - hives can be attacked, and the collected pollen can be eaten.

Features of the insect mouthparts

The appearance of the earwig is bright and memorable, it is difficult to confuse it with another insect. Its small head is heart-shaped.

Earwig head

It is separated from the body by the thyroid pronotum. The type of mouthparts of earwigs is gnawing. Its design allows you to easily cope with different types of food.

Earwig eating moth

The earwig's mouthparts are directed forward. Near the mouth there are thread-like antennae, which consist of short segments. Their number may differ depending on the type of earwig - it varies from 8 to 50 pieces.

Conclusion

Although the earwig is considered a garden pest, it not only causes damage to plants, but also helps gardeners to some extent.

The earwig's mouthparts allow it to eat fairly large insects - caterpillars, flies, slugs, and larvae.

Therefore, if a small population of these insects appears in the garden, you should not take any measures.

When their numbers are high, traps are usually used to get rid of them. The easiest way is to place wet rags around the plants.

Soon, moisture-loving earwigs will crawl onto them. Then the baits are taken along with the insects outside the site and filled with boiling water.

Video: Common earwig (male)

​Similar articles​

​Earwigs love to hide in secluded places. If she thinks that the ear is a sufficiently secluded place, she will crawl. But this happens extremely rarely. If you are afraid, use earplugs when you sleep. :)​

​Earwig (Forficula auricularia L.) from the order Leatherwings, has an elongated body; on the head there are large eyes, mouth parts, gnawing and directed forward. The antennae are long, thread-like, with clearly defined segments. The forewings are hard, short, without venation. The abdomen at the end has “forceps” consisting of two hard hooks. The earwig is a chewing garden and fruit pest. It gnaws flowers, leaves, semi-ripe seeds, fruits, etc. Climbing up the legs into the hive, the earwig lives in damp and insulating material or the inter-wall hive space, feeds on honey, beebread and bees, catching and destroying them. When dismantling the hive, due to fear of light, she hides in the insulating material and cracks of the hive.​

​During winter, earwigs burrow to a depth of ~2m in order to have access to groundwater.​

​The fight against earwigs in the garden and garden involves, first of all, putting things in order. There should be no compost heaps, various rubbish, etc. in the garden. In addition, many pesticides serve as an excellent means of destroying earwigs.​

​When hunting, the earwig holds its abdomen raised and can use its forceps to hold an insect caught in its jaws. Recently, an earwig was discovered that sprays a poisonous liquid from its abdominal glands exactly at the place where the ticks have stuck. Volleys can be repeated 4-6 times in a row. But the common earwig, as they say, is not cut out for life. The main components of the secretion of its glands are 2-methyl- and 2-ethyl-n-benzoquinone-1,4, which protect it well from ants, birds and mice.​

​Earwigs (in German "Ohrwurm", in English "earwig", in French "perce-oreille", in Spanish "gusano del oido", i.e. in all languages ​​it is assumed that earwigs tend to find refuge in human ear) actually do not find anything attractive there: there is nothing to eat there, and earwax is unlikely to be pleasant to them. Earwigs get their name from their wings, which closely resemble human ears.​

​Another name for earwigs is leatherwing.​

​Common earwig (Forficula auricularia).​

To prevent your seedlings and flowers from becoming prey to earwigs, you can take simple measures to prevent the appearance of these pests:

​How to get rid of an earwig so that this cute animal does not gnaw on seedlings?​
​For insurance, when you sleep on the hay, it is better to tie a scarf on your head.​
​,)))​
The garden earwig (Forficula tomis) is common and lives in damp places, tree hollows, and sometimes in basements. It feeds on rotting organic debris and can accidentally harm vegetables. The female takes care of the offspring by creating a special nesting chamber, where she curls up around a pile of eggs. Guards and licks eggs, protecting them from mold.​
​EARwig (Forficula auricularia) (in German “Ohrwurm”, in English “earwig”, in French “perce-oreille”, in Spanish “gusano del oido”, i.e. in all languages ​​it is assumed that earwigs tend to take refuge in the human ear) do not actually find anything attractive there: there is nothing there to eat (earwigs feed on leaves and insects), and earwax is unlikely to be pleasant to them. Earwigs get their name from their wings, which closely resemble human ears.​
​Controlling earwigs in a greenhouse requires a more careful approach. Cleanliness and order are also the main requirement. In the greenhouse, you can place flower pots upside down and pour some oats or other bait inside. It is advisable to grease the inside of the pots with oil. I get inside, the earwig has no way to get out. Next, the pots must be destroyed along with the earwigs or thrown away.​
​Leatherwings have rather large, wide wings. It's not easy to fold them. Imagine a fan that is folded first like an accordion, and then crosswise twice more. After this, the wings become small bags, which are pushed under the elytra with pincers. The whole operation takes a few seconds.​

tomato-pomidor.com

Earwig: Does this insect get into your ears?

This is a well-known insect of the order Leatheroptera with a dark brown body, stands close to grasshoppers, but differs from true grasshoppers in that it has three equal pairs of legs. At the end of the rear part of the body, the mite has movable pincers (pincer-shaped cerci). According to another version, it is called an earwig because of the belief that a mite crawls into the ears of sleeping people.​

These insects are omnivores. If we talk about eating animal food, then it would be more correct to call the earwig not a predator, but a scavenger. The diet includes spider mites, aphids, and various sedentary invertebrates.​

​The same explanation is inherent in the English language, since the name translated means “ear wig”. But in reality, although earwigs hide in secluded places, they do not get into people's ears. This behavior is unlikely. Perhaps it was originally meant unusual shape wing of this insect, and over time there was a substitution of concepts.​

- Do not over-moisten the soil in boxes with seedlings. It is better to water less frequently, but more abundantly, in the morning, especially for tomato seedlings.​

​City residents are usually not familiar with the problem with earwigs, but for those who live in villages, especially in old, wooden houses, these unsightly-looking insects (like this circle 😉) sometimes cause a lot of problems. In addition to the purely aesthetic discomfort at the sight of these vile creatures, they are also capable of devouring young seedlings of tomatoes and other plants.

​earwig (Forficula auricularia)​

Appearance of an earwig

​(Dermaptera) , . , . , . , . , . (Forficula tomis), . , . , . ,​

The earwig is rusty or tar-brown in color with dirty yellow legs and elytra, about 1.5 cm long. This insect enjoys a bad undeserved reputation. You can still hear stories about how an earwig crawls into the ear of a sleeping person and, breaking through the eardrum, disables the hearing aid. None of this is true, and the fear of harm allegedly caused by this to a person is not based on anything. The common earwig leads a hidden lifestyle, hiding during the day under stones, fallen trees, as well as under the bark of trees and old stumps. In such shelters, earwigs sometimes accumulate in large numbers.

​Earwig and how to deal with it​

Habitat of earwigs

The name of the insect refers to an old belief that the earwig is able to crawl into the ear of a sleeping person and gnaw through the eardrum. It is interesting that the same explanation is given not only for the Russian, but also for the English name of the insect - earwig. The insect really chooses secluded places to rest, but cases of their detection in the ears and other human organs are practically unknown and unlikely. English-language sources believe that with a high degree of probability there was a shift in the original word ear-wing (“ear-shaped wing”), which indicated a wing shape unusual for insects

​This insect is difficult to detect on indoor plants because it hides during the day and eats leaves and petals at night, so that holes form on the leaves, until the leaf tissue completely disappears.​

​Earwigs destroy bee hives, eating up to 300 milligrams of honey at a time. In addition, earwigs eat various parts of plants, mosses, lichens and algae. Earwigs cause great damage to agriculture, eating the pulp of apples, peaches, pears, currants, cherries and cherries. It is difficult for them to gnaw through the hard skin of fruits, so they choose cracked fruits. In addition, earwigs leave their excrement on the fruits. In addition, they damage vegetables: zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes. Earwigs can live in barns and feed on tough grains.​

Lifestyle of earwigs

The earwig has a flattened, elongated body. The back color is chestnut brown, the belly color is dark brown. The head is heart-shaped. The antennae on the head consist of 11-14 segments, their length is 2/3 of the length of the body. The eyes are very small. The forewings are short, without veins. The hind wings are membranous, wide, with veins.​

​- Ventilate rooms with seedlings, greenhouses, hotbeds.​

Diet of earwigs

​P.S. I almost titled the article “our favorite earwigs”, after the equally favorite slugs from the forum.​

The earwig (Forficula auricularia) is rusty or tar-brown in color with dirty yellow legs and elytra, about 1.5 cm long. This insect enjoys a bad undeserved reputation. You can still hear stories about how an earwig crawls into the ear of a sleeping person and, breaking through the eardrum, disables the hearing aid. None of this is true, and the fear of harm allegedly caused by this to a person is not based on anything.​

​eto prosto takoe nazvanie nikto tebe v ushi ne sobiraetsya zalezt v ushi, za istoriyu po moemu ne bilo takih sluchaev krome odnogo, vse eto erunda tem bolee ot kuda oni u nas vozmutsya​

Developmental stages of earwigs

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​At night, on the contrary, they become very active; crawl out of their daytime shelters and quickly run in search of food, which can be very diverse and the composition of which depends on the characteristics of a particular place. It can feed on various parts of dead and living green plants, fungi and algae that develop under the bark, as well as animal food, including small insects. Like all representatives of this order, the common earwig develops with incomplete metamorphosis. Mating occurs in late summer - early autumn, and it continues for several hours. A few days later, the female lays eggs in one common pile, in a specially prepared nest.​

​One of the folk remedies for controlling earwigs in the area is spraying the soil with a tincture of onion and garlic. Such a harsh mixture repels insects.​

The European (common) earwig is an insect that belongs to the order Leatherwing. There are more than 1,900 species in the order of earwigs, but only 26 species are typical for the CIS countries. Most species have minimal differences in body structure. Most often they differ only in color, size, and habitat. Most known species and representatives of the earwig order: common earwig, seaside, Asian, viviparous, small, Central Asian, cave and others.​

​The unusual appearance of earwigs (Dermaptera) is given by claw-shaped appendages at the end of the abdomen, which are scientifically called cerci. Males have larger cerci, and each species has its own shape. The movable abdomen allows the cerci to be thrown forward, exposing them above the head as a formidable weapon. An earwig may pinch your finger if it is grabbed roughly.​

​In the first year of life, the insect goes through the following stages: egg - larva - adult earwig.​

During flight, the earwig's body is almost vertical. When the wings are folded, they are tucked under the elytra twice. Earwigs fly extremely rarely, but prefer to use their limbs. The length of females ranges from 12-14 millimeters, and males - 13-17 millimeters.​

animalreader.ru

Why is Earwig so called?

Tosya

- Do not thicken the plantings. In this case, the seedlings will also be stronger.

​Like all representatives of this order, the common earwig develops with incomplete metamorphosis. Mating occurs in late summer - early autumn, and it continues for several hours. A few days later, the female lays eggs in one common pile, in a specially prepared nest.​

​Yes, they crawl into your ear, tickle your eardrums, lay eggs in your ears... .​

​, (. Forficula auricularia). . , .​

The nest is a passage dug in the ground, from 5 to 8 cm long, less often up to 15 cm. Usually the nest passage is made in the form of a straight tube, but sometimes it has a side branch. In this burrow, the female remains to overwinter along with the eggs and after overwintering she lays eggs again. Males usually do not survive winter well, and in the spring you can sometimes find their corpses lying near living females. Females show a kind of care for the offspring, protecting the eggs until the larvae hatch from them. In this case, the female is positioned in the nest in such a way that she covers the laid pile of eggs with her head and front legs. She has to protect her offspring not only from external enemies, but also from the male and other females who are not averse to occasionally feasting on the laid eggs. Typically, egg development lasts from 5 to 6 weeks.​

​Earwigs in the house are extremely unpleasant neighbors. They have an extremely unpleasant appearance. Don't try to catch them with your hands - they can bite quite painfully. Earwig bites can cause infection and infection, so be careful. If there is a bite, treat it with alcohol and consult a doctor.​

​Earwig photo​

BULLDOG

​Common garden earwig (Forficula tomis), lives in damp places, tree hollows, and sometimes in basements. It feeds on rotting organic debris and can accidentally harm vegetables. The female takes care of the offspring by creating a special nesting chamber, where she curls up around a pile of eggs. Guards and licks eggs, protecting them from mold.​

Personal Account Removed

​In its development, the earwig goes through three stages.​

Marina

A notable feature of the earwig is its forked “tail.”

- In gardens and vegetable gardens, remove excess garden debris and plant debris under which pests hide.​

Every year, when the snow begins to melt outside, residents of the private sector and summer residents are upset by the appearance in the house of these very unpleasant insects, which are often called two-tailed insects, although this is not correct. True two-tailed fishes belong to a different order (secryptogular hexapods) and are much smaller in size. And the familiar earwig is a gnawing pest from the order Leatherwings. It is precisely because earwigs damage our seedlings, flowers, fruit trees and shrubs that they have received the dislike of all gardeners.

The nest is a passage dug in the ground, from 5 to 8 cm long, less often up to 15 cm. Usually the nest passage is made in the form of a straight tube, but sometimes it has a side branch. In this burrow, the female remains to overwinter along with the eggs and after overwintering she lays eggs again.

Fox Mulder

​Insert a pencil into your ears, and that’s your protection.​

​; , - . , . , . , X .​

​The female continues to remain with her offspring for some time after the larvae hatch from the eggs, protecting them. The first instar larvae are similar to adults, differing from them in size, a reduced number of antennal segments (8 instead of 13-14) and a number of other characteristics. After the death of the mother, the larvae lead an independent life. Due to its omnivorous nature, the common earwig sometimes becomes an agricultural pest, as it can damage leaves, shoots, flowers and eat immature seeds. In some cases, it harms cereals and various garden crops. In gardens, it damages flowers and leaves of ornamental plants, as well as the fruits of fruit trees, especially apples and peaches. There are known cases where earwigs, crawling into living quarters, damaged wet linen, outerwear, or gnawed baked bread and ate out passages in it.​

​Usually, earwigs do not live in houses, but if the room is damp and dirty, they can feel quite comfortable in it.​

Giant earwigs

​Popularly, they are usually called double-tailed, due to the presence of characteristic “forceps” on the back of the abdomen. Quite often, apartment residents may confuse them with cockroaches, calling them “two-tailed cockroaches.” They have an elongated body, their size is usually 1.5-2.5 cm. The color of the earwig is brown, ranging from reddish-brown and rusty to sandy and light gray, depending on the species and habitat. The mouthparts are of a gnawing type and directed forward. Males are larger, differ from females by also having more curved forceps, while females have almost straight ones. The antennae of insects are quite long and thread-like. Earwigs have wings, some species even have 2 pairs, but there are also wingless ones. The insect hides its wings in a special place under the hard wing covers; they fold three times. At the same time, insects fly quite rarely and over short distances.

​Earwig (Forficula auricularia L.) from the order Leatherwings, has an elongated body; There are large eyes on the head, and the gnawing mouthparts are directed forward. The antennae are long, thread-like, with clearly defined segments. The forewings are hard, short, without venation. The abdomen at the end has “forceps”, consisting of two hard hooks.​

Mating in these insects takes place at the end of summer. After a couple of months, the female digs a hole in moist soil. Nora serves safe home for young animals and a place for wintering. At the end of the burrow, the female forms an extension and lays eggs in it.​

​A characteristic feature of earwigs is a pair of pincers on the tip of the body. Both sexes have these forceps, but in males they are larger, have teeth, and with inside they round off. In females they are smooth and straight. Earwigs use these pincers to protect and hold prey. If you reach out with your hand towards an earwig, it will raise the back of its body and expose its weapon. With these pincers, she can pierce the skin into blood. But they do not attack people, and sting only during defense.​

- Late autumn to dig up the soil in the garden.

​These insects are nocturnal, during the day they hide under leaves, under bark, under earthen lumps, where it is dark and damp, and only at night they crawl out of their shelter. They feed not only on plant but also on animal remains. Earwigs overwinter in the ground, under heaps of garden debris, under stones, in cracks in houses, and in the spring, females lay eggs underground.​

How to deal with earwigs

Males usually do not tolerate winter well, and in the spring you can sometimes find their corpses lying near living females. Females show a kind of care for the offspring, protecting the eggs until the larvae hatch from them.

The common earwig, European earwig (lat. Forficula auricularia) is an insect from the order Leatherwings. The popular name is pincher. Earwigs are also often called two-tailed earwigs, but real two-tailed earwigs are a completely different order of insects of the subclass enthognathae.​

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​earwig​

Earwig in the apartment and house

​Fighting in a house or apartment is different in that the use of serious pesticides is simply unacceptable. Although, earwigs rarely appear in apartments - this is not their habitat at all, and if you see that you have an earwig in your apartment, this is most likely a single representative. However, in private and wooden houses, especially if there is a plot, earwigs are not uncommon. They can get into the house through various cracks and cracks - you need to get rid of them first. First of all, you need to get rid of their potential habitats, i.e. away from dark and damp places. Often, earwigs can live close to indoor plants, and eat them. To prevent eating houseplants, coat their pots with vinegar - this will not kill the earwigs, but it will repel them. Also, a good method for getting rid of earwigs in the house is to treat crevices and places where they may accumulate with boric acid. This substance is quite cheap and is sold in pharmacies. Also, for more convenient use, you can make lumps of egg yolk mixed with boric acid or dough balls with boric acid. Thus, removing the consequences of the struggle will be much easier than getting rid of the white powder scattered throughout the house. But, it must be taken into account that earwigs should not have access to water. Otherwise, boric acid will be ineffective. In addition, regular dichlorvos also works quite well in the fight against earwigs. If you cannot find places where earwigs live in an apartment or house, this matter can be entrusted to the SES and insect control services. Once treated, earwigs are guaranteed to disappear.​

​The most big representatives This species - giant earwigs - lives only on St. Helena Island. First discovered in 1798, long time were considered an extinct species after rats appeared on the island from a stranded ship in 1918. They were rediscovered in 1950 and 2001. Attempts to find them in 2003 and 2004 were unsuccessful.​

The earwig is a chewing garden and fruit pest. It gnaws flowers, leaves, semi-ripe seeds, fruits, etc. Climbing up the legs into the hive, the earwig lives in moist and insulated material or in the inter-wall hive space, feeds on honey, beebread and bees, catching and destroying them. When dismantling the hive, due to fear of light, she hides in the insulating material and cracks of the hive.​

​When the work is finished, the female remains with the eggs; if the male helped her, then she becomes aggressive towards him at this time. She takes care of the eggs, rearranges them, and selects the most humid place for them. Almost 89% of the time the female is close to her clutch and only occasionally leaves it.​

​These insects live in Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. In Europe, earwigs are found everywhere. In our country they are found from Kazakhstan to the Urals and from Omsk to Kamen-on-Obi.​

Myths and facts about earwigs

• - Weed weeds and loosen the beds in a timely manner.
• ​Any gardener will not like it when the fruits of his labor are damaged or completely destroyed by pests, so people have invented many ways to combat earwigs, which spoil seedlings on window sills, in greenhouses and greenhouses.​
• ​In this case, the female is positioned in the nest in such a way that she covers the laid pile of eggs with her head and front legs. She has to protect her offspring not only from external enemies, but also from the male and other females who are not averse to occasionally feasting on the laid eggs. Typically, egg development lasts from 5 to 6 weeks.​
• ​Has an elongated body; on the head there are large eyes, mouth parts, gnawing and directed forward. The antennae are long, thread-like, with clearly defined segments. The forewings are hard, short, without venation. The abdomen at the end has “forceps”, consisting of two solid processes of the X segment - the cervix.

tarakani-von.ru

Why did earwigs get such a strange name?

Lenzel

​, - . , . , . , .​
​For the erroneous myth about their ability to crawl into the ear of a sleeping person
​Earwig in the apartment​ ​Giant earwigs photo​ ​Translated from German, “earwig” means “earworm,” and from French it means “pierce your ears.”​
​In the winter clutch, as a rule, there are 30-60 eggs. In the spring, the female can lay eggs again, but in this case their number does not exceed 20 pieces. The eggs are oval-shaped, yellowish-white in color. Incubation period lasts 56-85 days, during which time they almost double in size from exposure to moisture.​

Lyudmila

​A winged specimen of an earwig.​

Evsyukov Alexander

The common earwig is an insect belonging to the order Leatheroptera. Earwigs are omnivorous creatures.​
​The method, which can be called a “trap,” uses the habit of insects to crawl into dark and damp places. Therefore, it is recommended to place wet rags near the seedling boxes, and when pests “get into” them, destroy them with boiling water.​
​The female continues to remain with her offspring for some time after the larvae hatch from the eggs, protecting them. First instar larvae are similar to adults, differing from them in size, reduced number of antennal segments (8 instead of 13-14) and a number of other characteristics.​

Rose of Wind

The earwig is a chewing garden and fruit pest. It gnaws flowers, leaves, semi-ripe seeds, fruits, etc. Climbing up the legs into the hive, the earwig lives in moist and insulating material or the inter-wall hive space, feeds on honey, beebread and bees, catching and destroying them. When dismantling the hive, due to fear of light, she hides in the insulating material and cracks of the hive.​

​(. Forficula tomis), . , . , . , .​

​Because there is a legend that earwigs crawl into the ear of a sleeping person, gnaw out the eardrum and breed in the head.​

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​In addition to the house and garden, the earwig can choose a barn or garage as its habitat. To get rid of earwigs in your garage and shed, you need to seal all the cracks in them. The control method using boric acid will also be quite effective. But, it must be taken into account that earwigs should not have access to water. Otherwise, boric acid will be ineffective. Also, you can use various household poisons against insects, like dichlorvos. You can also treat the room with vinegar - after using it, earwigs simply will not be able to live there. After treatment, the room should be closed for several days. After baiting, ventilate thoroughly.​

​Giant earwigs reach 8 cm in length and are black in color. The giant earwig is listed as a critically endangered species on the International Red List. This situation arose due to deforestation in their habitat, as well as the fact that centipedes Scolopendra morsilans were introduced to St. Helena Island, which became a more successful competitor in this food chain. Giant earwigs live in deep holes and crevices, coming to the surface only at night after rain.​

​Most people are sure that earwigs are so called because at night they are able to climb into a person’s ear and eat their brains.​

​Earwigs breed twice a year.​

​Earwigs were introduced to Australia, North America and New Zealand. In America, this insect was first recorded in Seattle, and from there it instantly spread to California, North Carolina and Arizona.​

​They often live close to human habitation, causing damage to agriculture. On the other hand, they can be beneficial because they eat various pests, such as aphids.​

​Other methods of struggle are based, on the contrary, on the deterrent effect. The boxes with seedlings are coated around the perimeter with something sharply smelling, for example, Zvezdochka balm. Some gardeners outline them with Mashenka chalk. Some people recommend placing cups of basil between the drawers.​

After the death of the mother, the larvae lead an independent life.

​The unusual appearance of earwigs is given by the claw-like appendages at the end of the abdomen, which are scientifically called cerci. Males have larger cerci, and each species has its own shape. The movable abdomen allows the cerci to be thrown forward, exposing them above the head as a formidable weapon. An earwig may pinch your finger if you grab it roughly.​

Pantera

​, [ 65 ] .​
In general, from one of the languages ​​its name is translated as “ear wing” (or something like that). Because her wing is shaped like a human ear.​

framboise

​There is a myth that an earwig can get into a sleeping person's ear and damage the eardrum. This myth is completely unfounded. Earwigs avoid unnecessary attention to themselves in every possible way. This situation is only possible if a person crushes an earwig with his ear in a dream and it has nowhere to go.​

​Earwigs breed in late summer and early autumn. The fertilized female digs a small tunnel in the ground and lays eggs. At one time, the female can lay up to 50 eggs. The female overwinters in the same burrow, protecting the offspring, positioning herself so as to cover the clutch. Males often do not survive the winter, so their remains can be found in such burrows. For some time after the birth of the offspring, the female remains with him, protects and feeds him. After the death of the mother, the larvae begin to live and feed independently.

Please tell me, do earwigs really get into the ears of a sleeping person and is there any way to protect yourself from them?

Abu Abdullah Muslim

​For some reason different nations, even living far from each other, the name of these insects is associated with the word “ear”. Several versions have been proposed on this matter. Some say that the folded wings of leatherwings or, in other words, earwigs resemble ears. Others believe that the growths or pincers at the end of their body are similar to the tool that cosmetologists of the past used to pierce women's ears for earrings. Finally, there is an opinion that this creature crawls into the ear of a sleeping person, pierces the eardrum and reaches all the way to the brain. An earwig, of course, can accidentally get into your ear, but everything else is shameless slander.​

Valera Kudritsky

The larvae of the first litter emerge in May, and the second litter in June. Both types of larvae become adults by August. During this time, they molt 4 times and change their skin. Initially, the larvae are similar in appearance to adult earwigs, but differ only in their smaller size and shade. At first the larvae are gray-brown, and their wings are practically undeveloped. After each molt, the color becomes darker, and the insect takes on the shape adult. In August, the breeding season begins, and by this time the young individuals are already ready to mate. If the weather is warm, earwigs develop faster.​
​During the day, these insects hide in secluded damp places. They can be found under leaves, stones, and in tree crevices. At night they become active, come out of hiding and begin to look for food.​

Titova Natalya

People often call these insects “two-tailed insects,” but in fact, two-tailed insects belong to a completely different class of cryptomaxillary insects.

​One more thing folk remedy- place boxes with seedlings on glass jars so that earwigs cannot climb into them on a smooth surface.​

The garden earwig (Forficula tomis) has two light stripes or dark stripes with a light side stripe on the elytra.

Of the related species in the European part of Russia, the garden earwig (lat. Forficula tomis) is common; it lives in damp places, tree hollows, and sometimes in basements. It feeds on rotting organic debris and can accidentally harm vegetables. The female takes care of the offspring by creating a special nesting chamber, where she curls up around a pile of eggs. Guards and licks eggs, protecting them from mold.​

​http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uh screwdriver_ordinary​

​It is likely that the name earwig also arose from the shape of the wing, and then somehow transformed.​

Olga Borisovna

​Only a few species of earwigs are able to fly, and over extremely short distances.​

Alexander Borisov

​Male (left) and female (right) earwigs. Males are usually larger and have curved pincers.​

What kind of nest does the EARwig have?

T@nyushka

​Sharp brown ticks are especially large in males. The muscles of ticks are quite strong. You can easily verify this by taking an insect in your hand: the skin is squeezed, as if with small sharp tweezers. The common earwig can sometimes prick a finger until it bleeds. It is no coincidence that its Ukrainian name is “shchipavka”. Ticks easily penetrate the coverings of beetles, spiders and other small creatures.​


​Mite or earwig.​
​The activity of earwigs is highly dependent on weather conditions. They exhibit the greatest mobility on warm days, when temperature differences between day and night hours are minimal. They prefer cloudy weather, but if there is precipitation, they stay in shelters.​

​In addition, these insects are also called “pinchers.” The name “earwig” is associated with an old belief that this insect can climb into the ear and gnaw through the eardrum.​


​As for earwigs in the garden, if there is a very large concentration of them, it is recommended to use various insecticidal preparations, such as “Inta-vir”, “Iskra”, etc. In order not to overuse chemicals, you can also make infusions of wormwood, tansy, and yarrow with the addition of laundry soap for spraying plantings.

​Rusty or pitch-brown in color with dirty yellow legs and elytra, about 13-16 mm long. The common earwig leads a hidden lifestyle, hiding during the day under stones, fallen trees, as well as under the bark of trees and old stumps. In such shelters, earwigs sometimes accumulate in large numbers. At night, on the contrary, they become very active; crawl out of their daytime shelters and quickly run in search of food, which can be very diverse and the composition of which depends on the characteristics of a particular place. It can feed on various parts of dead and living green plants, fungi and algae that develop under the bark, as well as animal food, including small insects. Like all representatives of this order, the common earwig develops with incomplete metamorphosis. Mating occurs in late summer - early autumn, and it continues for several hours. A few days later, the female lays eggs in one common pile, in a specially prepared nest. The nest is a passage dug in the ground from 5 to 8 cm long, less often up to 15 cm. Usually the nest passage is made in the form of a straight tube, but sometimes it has a side branch. In this burrow, the female remains to overwinter along with the eggs and after overwintering she lays eggs again. Males usually do not survive winter well, and in the spring you can sometimes find their corpses lying near living females. Females show a kind of care for the offspring, protecting the eggs until the larvae hatch from them. In this case, the female is positioned in the nest in such a way that she covers the laid pile of eggs with her head and front legs. She has to protect her offspring not only from external enemies, but also from the male and other females who are not averse to occasionally feasting on the laid eggs. Typically, egg development lasts 5 to 6 weeks. The female continues to remain with her offspring for some time after the larvae hatch from the eggs, protecting them. The first instar larvae are similar to adults, differing from them in size, a reduced number of antennal segments (8 instead of 13-14) and a number of other characteristics. After the death of the mother, the larvae lead an independent life. Due to its omnivorous nature, the common earwig sometimes becomes an agricultural pest, as it can damage leaves, shoots, flowers and eat immature seeds. In some cases, it harms cereals and various garden crops. In gardens, it damages flowers and leaves of ornamental plants, as well as the fruits of fruit trees, especially apples and peaches. There are cases where earwigs, crawling into living quarters, damaged wet linen, outerwear, or gnawed baked bread and ate out passages in it. By its origin, the common earwig is a typical element of the European fauna, but thanks to humans it becomes almost cosmopolitan, as it was introduced to North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. In North America it is considered a quarantine object. It first entered Australia in 1934 and has since become a serious pest of ornamental and garden plants. Many representatives of this order lead a lifestyle similar to that of the common earwig.

​The popular belief that, crawling into the ear, it can pierce the eardrum is based on myths and is incorrect

Meeting an earwig causes a feeling of disgust, disgust and even fear in many people. The frightening appearance of the insect, which has two sharp swords at the end and militantly protruding mustaches, forces you to quickly leave the room. This article will tell you why the common earwig is dangerous for humans.

On a note!

Quite often, the earwig is called the two-tailed earwig. However this statement wrong. The forked tail is the only common feature that the earwig and two-tailed duck have. This is why people often confuse these insects.

What does a double tail look like?

– representatives of the order cryptomaxillary are small arthropods, whose body length is 2-5 mm. However, you can also find giants up to 50-60 mm. They prefer to settle in damp, damp places.

A distinctive feature of two-tailed birds, or as they are also called forktails, is the lack of pigmentation of the body and eyes, the function of which is performed by a pair of cerci.

On a note!

Cerci are sword-shaped processes located on the abdominal segment at the end of the arthropod’s body. They can be long, filament-shaped, or short, claw-shaped, which is why the double-tailed fish is often confused with an earwig.

Some varieties of bivostok, if necessary, shed their cerci, which grow back over time.

Description of the earwig

The earwig is an insect belonging to the order Leatheroptera:

• is the owner of an oblong, flat body with a brown-chestnut color;
• larger males (up to 2-4 cm), body length of females does not exceed 1.5 cm;
• adult individuals have membranous wings, some subspecies even have 2 pairs, but they prefer to move on the ground;
• on the head there are small eyes and thread-like antennae, which consist of 11-14 segments (they can be seen in the photo of the earwig).

There are claw-like processes on the abdomen, which is why the insects are called “pincers.” Moreover, the claws are more developed in males. Why do insects need them? Such processes serve not only to hold prey, but also for protection. When the earwig is in danger, it bends its body, exposes its cerci and secretes a strong-smelling substance. You can see what an earwig looks like in the photo.

Habitat

Most often, the earwig insect lives in damp, swampy and cool places: in compost pits, in piles of last year's leaves, under stones and fallen trees. It can often be found near a body of water in moist soil. The insect is also capable of living in a residential building. Not wanting to allow such a neighborhood, it is necessary to maintain complete order in the house.

Reproduction

The way earwigs reproduce is also surprising. The mating process of insects lasts for several hours. After which, after two months, the fertilized female makes a tunnel up to 8 cm deep, ending in a widening. It is there that she breeds, laying eggs, the number of which varies from 30 to 60 pieces.

Interesting!

The female reliably protects future offspring, both from enemies and from her relatives.

In early March, she lays eggs again; the number of eggs in the clutch does not exceed two dozen. The first larvae can be born at the end of spring, becoming sexually mature by the end of summer. In order to spend the winter, insects crawl into underground burrows, where they hibernate (hibernate).

Nutrition

The insect's diet is quite varied. Honey, various vegetables and fruits are what earwigs eat. They cause enormous damage to plants by eating the edges of leaves and gnawing their stems and roots. Pests will not refuse mushrooms, seeds or moss. Insects do not disdain leftover food left on the table. The favorite delicacies of earwigs are dahlias, chrysanthemums, asters, roses, phlox and poppies.

On a note!

Therefore, the presence of a single individual does not require its urgent destruction. If there is an excessive number of pests in the garden, and especially in the house, taking urgent measures is simply necessary.

Why is an earwig dangerous for humans?

Many people are puzzled by the question of whether earwigs are dangerous to humans. After all, the myth about the ability of an insect makes you think.

If such a situation does occur, it is necessary to drop a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or vegetable oil. Then they shine a flashlight into the ear, allowing the insect to crawl out into the light. If there is no result, consultation with a specialist is necessary. However, there is no need to worry about this - such cases are quite rare and do not occur more often than with other insects.

The fact that earwigs bite is a proven fact. The substance secreted by insects has a specific odor, but is not poisonous. Its biting pincers are released during defense, trying in this way to scare away its opponent. They bite using claws, but it doesn't hurt very much. Children who have more delicate skin usually feel pain when bitten.

Symptoms of an earwig bite in a person suffering from allergies may include the following:

• the presence of redness on the skin;
• swelling and swelling around the injury site;
• the appearance of blisters resembling herpes.

Below is a photo of an earwig bite.

How to treat a bite

Based on the above, the question arises, what to do if you are bitten by an earwig. Treatment of an insect bite is carried out as follows. If these symptoms appear, the damaged area should be lubricated with an alcohol solution. In addition, it is necessary to take an antihistamine.

The earwig is a plant pest that causes a lot of trouble for those who love gardening. The presence of insects in most cases causes crop loss.

Earwigs have a very distinctive appearance. These are relatively small insects, 4-40 mm long, with a highly flattened and elongated, very flexible body, bearing two long chitinized processes on the top of the abdomen - mites. The earwig's head is almost heart-shaped with forward-facing chewing mouthparts; The filamentous antennae located on it in different species have a different number of segments - from 8 to 50. The outer integument of the body is always very dense, highly chitinized.

One of the characteristic structural features of earwigs is their flying apparatus. Their front pair of wings is greatly shortened and turned into hard, leathery elytra. The soft, membranous hind wings are very wide and fan-shaped; on their anterior edge there is a horny plate. In a calm state, the wings are folded like a fan along the veins, and then twice more across and hidden under the elytra, from under which only the ends of the hard horny plates protrude. The legs are usually of the running type, relatively short, with 3-segmented tarsi.

The relatively elongated abdomen consists of 10 segments; the “pincers” located at its end are modified cerci; they are not divided into segments and are often armed with various teeth and projections. In males, ticks are much more developed than in females. The shape and size of mites are very variable. Within the same species there are males with short and long ticks.

Ticks are, first of all, an organ of defense and attack. If an earwig is disturbed, it will assume a defensive posture. In this case, the abdomen bends upward and forward, as a result of which the ends of the ticks are located above the head and chest. It is characteristic that in some species, for example our common earwig(Forficula auricularia), the motor muscles of ticks are so highly developed that they can pierce human skin with them, drawing blood. Pincers are also used to hold captured prey while eating.

The most ancient form of earwigs is known from Jurassic deposits in the Karatau mountain range (southern Kazakhstan) and is described under the name Protodiplatys fortis (Fig. 164). Possessing a number of characteristics typical of modern earwigs, including the characteristic structure of the abdomen and shortened, rigid elytra, this species had some primitive structural features. Thus, the number of segments on the legs is not three, but four or five; The cerci do not have the shape of ticks; they are thin, short and, moreover, divided into segments. The presence of this form in the Jurassic indicates the great antiquity of the order, and the primitive features of its structure indicate that it is an intermediate form between modern earwigs and their Paleozoic cockroach-like ancestors, which also had 5-segmented hind legs and short segmented cerci. It is interesting to emphasize that the last feature (multi-segmented cerci) is preserved in the larvae of some tropical species of earwigs from the subfamily Diplatyinae, distributed in Africa, the Indo-Malayan region and Central America. Adult forms of these species have true unsegmented cerci - mites.

The modern fauna of earwigs consists of approximately 1200-1300 species. The vast majority of them are distributed in tropical countries, where rich forest vegetation combined with a warm and humid climate creates favorable conditions for their existence. Only 26 species live in the USSR; of which is widely known common earwig(Forficula auricularia) is rusty or tar-brown in color with dirty yellow legs and elytra, about 1.5 cm long. This insect enjoys an undeserved bad reputation. You can still hear stories about how an earwig crawls into the ear of a sleeping person and, breaking through the eardrum, disables the hearing aid. None of this is true, and the fear of harm allegedly caused by this to a person is not based on anything.

The common earwig leads a hidden lifestyle, hiding during the day under stones, fallen trees, as well as under the bark of trees and old stumps. In such shelters, earwigs sometimes accumulate in large numbers. At night, on the contrary, they become very active; crawl out of their daytime shelters and quickly run in search of food, which can be very diverse and the composition of which depends on the characteristics of a particular place. It can feed on various parts of dead and living green plants, fungi and algae that develop under the bark, as well as animal food, including small insects.

Like all representatives of this order, the common earwig develops with incomplete metamorphosis. Mating occurs in late summer - early autumn, and it continues for several hours. After a few days, the female lays eggs in one common pile, in a specially prepared nest. The nest is a passage dug in the ground from 5 to 8 cm long, less often up to 15 cm. Usually the nest passage is made in the form of a straight tube, but sometimes it has a side branch. In this burrow, the female remains to overwinter along with the eggs and after overwintering she lays eggs again. Males usually do not survive winter well, and in the spring you can sometimes find their corpses lying near living females.

Females show a kind of care for the offspring, protecting the eggs until the larvae hatch from them. In this case, the female is positioned in the nest in such a way that she covers the laid pile of eggs with her head and front legs. She has to protect her offspring not only from external enemies, but also from the male and other females who are not averse to occasionally feasting on the laid eggs.

Typically, egg development lasts 5 to 6 weeks. The female continues to remain with her offspring for some time after the larvae hatch from the eggs, protecting them. The first instar larvae are similar to adults, differing from them in size, a reduced number of antennal segments (8 instead of 13-14) and a number of other characteristics. After the death of the mother, the larvae lead an independent life.

Due to its omnivorous nature, the common earwig sometimes becomes an agricultural pest, as it can damage leaves, shoots, flowers and eat immature seeds.

In some cases, it harms cereals and various garden crops. In gardens, it damages flowers and leaves of ornamental plants, as well as the fruits of fruit trees, especially apples and peaches. There are cases where earwigs, crawling into living quarters, damaged wet linen, outerwear, or gnawed baked bread and ate out passages in it.

By its origin, the common earwig is a typical element of the European fauna, but thanks to humans it becomes almost cosmopolitan, as it was introduced to North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand. In North America it is considered a quarantine object. It first entered Australia in 1934 and has since become a serious pest of ornamental and garden plants.

Many representatives of this order lead a lifestyle similar to that of the common earwig. However, in some cases, some types of earwigs are characterized by specific biological features.

Prolabia arachidis takes care of its offspring in a very unique way, laying eggs containing larvae ready to hatch. However, the latter cannot break through the egg shell themselves and exit the egg. As soon as the female lays the egg, she turns her head towards it and removes the shell with her jaws, thus freeing the larva, which is still in a bent state. The female then licks the larva until then. until it straightens and begins to move. Then the female turns around again, lays the next egg next to the larva and subjects it to the same treatment. The entire process of egg laying lasts from 8 to 9 hours. During the first three days after hatching, the larvae are inactive; they stay close to each other, near the female, who guards them and licks them from time to time. It is possible that she feeds them during this period.

A typical cosmopolitan, distributed throughout the globe, is coastal earwig(Labidura riparia). Here it can be found both in the deserts of Central Asia and in the forest zone, reaching in the north to Kirov. However, within its range, the coastal earwig lives only on sandy and sandy loam soils along the banks of rivers, lakes and seas.

Almost as widespread in all parts of the world is small earwig(Labia minor) is one of the smallest species found in our fauna (body length 4-6.5 mm). Unlike most representatives of the order, the small earwig is active during daylight hours. It can be observed during the day in masses flying over heaps of manure taken to the fields.

Leads a daily lifestyle Asian earwig(Anechura asiatica), black with yellow spots on the elytra and wing plates, 10-16 mm long, with strong curved pincers. This species is widespread in Western and Central Asia. In the northern part of its range it is found in semi-deserts, and in the south mainly in the mountains. According to observations in the Karatau mountain range (Southern Kazakhstan), the Asian earwig is a widespread species here, regularly performing seasonal vertical migrations. The places where the Asian earwig lays eggs and hatches its young are wet valleys and floodplains in the foothills of the ridge. The larvae hatch in the second half of April. They can be found in large numbers during the day on a wide variety of plants, the flowers of which are their main food. The larvae are especially active on clear sunny days. In the second half of May, fledging occurs. From this moment on, active migrations of the Asian earwig to the mountains begin. In the morning before sunrise, earwigs are in a torpored state under bushes or on the flowers of their food plants. As the sun rises, they begin to move and feed heavily, mainly on flowers and buds. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, i.e. by the time the earth warms up the most, a massive flight begins. They fly slowly, rising to a considerable height, sometimes higher than 100 m. A flying “band” of earwigs from a distance looks like a gray cloud. The massive flight lasts about two weeks. During this time, the Asian earwig completely migrates to the mountains and accumulates en masse on rocky slopes, where most plants bloom at this time. At the end of June, mountain vegetation begins to burn out. By this time, earwigs become inactive. They accumulate under plant bushes and stones and remain in this state in the mountains for the entire period of summer drought.

Unlike the Asian earwig, other mountain species are not only incapable of flight, but have even completely lost their wings. This is observed, for example, in Central Asian earwig(Mesasiobia hemixanthocara) is an endemic species from the Central Tien Shan. It lives in spruce forests of the subalpine zone, at altitudes from 1500 to 2800 m, where it is found under the bark of stumps or dying Schrenk spruce trees.

Some earwigs live in lightless caves, and in some cases they have undergone very significant changes in their general appearance and body structure. So, Guinea cave earwig(Diplatys milloti) has very long legs and antennae; at the same time, she has relatively poorly developed eyes and very pale pigmentation of the outer integument. Its larvae have long, segmented cerci.

The position of hemimers in the system has not yet been precisely determined: some scientists classify them as earwigs, identifying them in a special suborder, while others classify them as an independent order, different from the order of earwigs.

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• - m. An organized group of people united for joint activities. - Another detachment was assigned to develop the found gold-bearing layer. GZh, 1841, No. 1: 2; The gold mining party consisted of 2 detachments...

  Dictionary of gold mining Russian Empire

• - taxonomic category in the taxonomy of women. In O., kinships are united. families. For example, family wolfs, raccoons, mustelids, felines, and others form O. carnivores. Close O. form a class, sometimes first a superorder...

  Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

• - in zoology, a taxonomic category that unites related families...

  Large medical dictionary

• - in the taxonomy of animals - a category subordinate to a class and subdivided into a family. Sometimes several O. are combined into a superorder or O. are divided into suborders...

  Geological encyclopedia

• - a family of insects from the order Orthoptera, belonging to the group of running insects in the suborder Orthoptera genuina ...

  Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron

• - I Order in the taxonomy of animals, a taxonomic category that unites several families. O.'s loved ones make up the Class...
• - the same as Leatherwings...

  Great Soviet Encyclopedia

• - in biology - a taxonomic category in the taxonomy of animals. Related families are united into units. For example, the families of wolves, raccoons, mustelids, cats, etc. form an order of predators...
• - the same as leatherwings...

  Large encyclopedic dictionary

• - pl. Insects of the order Orthoptera with solid front and membranous hind wings, with an elongated flat body and with appendages in the form of mites at the posterior end of the abdomen; Leatherwings...

  Dictionary Efremova

"Order Earwigs (Dermaptera)" in books

Order Insectivores

From the book Mammals author Sivoglazov Vladislav Ivanovich

Order Insectivores This order includes hedgehogs, moles, and shrews. These are small animals with a small brain, the hemispheres of which do not have grooves or convolutions. The teeth are poorly differentiated. Most insectivores have an elongated muzzle with a small proboscis.

Earwigs

author Kozlov Mikhail Alekseevich

Orthoptera and earwigs

author Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich

earwigs

From the book Animal World. Volume 5 [Insect Tales] author Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich

Earwigs

From the book Not Just Bugs author Kozlov Mikhail Alekseevich

Earwigs That's how ominous the name of this order sounds - earwigs, no less and no more! In such a situation, there is nothing to count on a good reputation: the word is not a sparrow, if it flies out, you will not catch it. They tell incredible tales about them, in which, in different ways,

Orthoptera and earwigs

From the book Animal World. Volume 5 [Insect Tales] author Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich

Orthoptera and earwigs Even at the beginning of the century, the order Orthoptera, in addition to various kinds of grasshoppers, grasshoppers, locusts, mole crickets, also included earwigs, cockroaches and mantises. Now the superorder Orthoptera includes only two orders: Orthoptera (grasshoppers, fillies,

earwigs

From the book Animal World. Volume 5 [Insect Tales] author Akimushkin Igor Ivanovich

Earwigs “And yet the helpless animal is subjected to the most undeserved and vile slander and is so brutally and openly persecuted by many. My innate sense of chivalry is indignant at the mere thought of this. And so I gird myself with a saber and come to the defense

SQUAD

From the book Partisan Nights author Valakh Stanislav

SQUAD Together with "Bolek" I began to form the first partisan detachment. I started with my closest comrades. It so happened that they were mostly my neighbors. “Albina” - Stanislav Lovec, “Staszeka” - Stanislav Ptasinski and “Povalu” - Tadeusz

2. Squad B

From the book Coinage author Lawrence Thomas Edward

2. Squad B I woke up feeling light. I'll like it here. Today sunlight brightens everything. The delivery boy and I leisurely ate a standard breakfast, and I helped him sweep several rooms and corridors of the headquarters by half past seven, before the first officers showed up. I

16. Detachment No. 731

From the book The Last Emperor of China. Pu Yi author Usov Viktor Nikolaevich

16. Detachment No. 731 Based on a secret order received from Tokyo, the secret Detachment No. 731 was created and stationed in Harbin in 1936. However, it was later moved outside the crowded Harbin, where there were quite a lot of unnecessary “eyes” in the form of spies and scouts

How many penises does the common earwig have?

From the book The Book of General Delusions by Fry Stephen

How many penises does the common earwig have? a) Fourteen. b) None. c) Two (one for special occasions). d) None of your business. Correct answer: c). The common earwig (also known as the European earwig) has one penis in reserve - in case the first one suddenly breaks off, which, by the way,

earwigs

From the book Big Soviet Encyclopedia(UH) author TSB

Earwigs Earwigs are the same as leatherwings.

Why were earwigs afraid?

From the book I Explore the World. Insects author Lyakhov Peter

Why were earwigs afraid? Earwigs. Agree, it's a rather strange name. And this is where it came from... It is passed on from generation to generation scary story about how this vile insect crawls into the ear of a sleeping person and spins there until it bursts

Earwigs

From the book I Explore the World. Wildlife from A to Z author Lyubarsky Georgy Yurievich

Earwigs A small order of earwigs includes only about 1200 species, mostly tropical and subtropical; in Russia there are just over a dozen earwigs. Most of them are herbivorous, but some are predatory. Our common earwig, the common earwig, belongs to the genus

I. SQUAD

From the book String and Chandelier author Krapivin Vladislav