Earwigs shouldn't be a bug we love to hate
- Meghan McMahon
- Aug 12, 2025
- 3 min read
Creepy-crawly earwigs have a bad reputation. Their name alone can give you the heebie-jeebies! Earwigs? Why are they called earwigs? Surely because they love crawling in small cavities ... like human ears! Eek!
Fortunately, this is a common myth. The earwig actually gets its name from the shape of its beautiful iridescent hindwings, which are shaped like a human ear. Phew!
How did they get here?
Did you know that earwigs have not always lived in Illinois? Ask a grownup if they remember the times before earwigs. Earwigs are initially from Europe. They were transported as stowaways on plants — now those are the small cavities these misunderstood critters enjoy hiding inside.
Words to know
Cavity: An empty space in a solid object.
Iridescent: Showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles.
Maternal: Characteristic of a mother.
They first arrived in the United States in Seattle, Washington, in the early 1900s. Slowly, they made their way to the Midwest, including Illinois, between 1980 and the early 1990s. Again, they were transported on plants.
A day in the life
Earwigs are nocturnal animals, spending most of the night being active and most of the day hiding in dark, moist spaces. This explains why their favorite hiding spaces are beneath potted plants, inside plant buds or folded leaves, between cracks or bricks, within wet leaves or mulch, under your front door welcome mat or on a backyard pool deck. The majority of the time, they can be found underground.
Earwigs can often be found in family groups. Female earwigs are maternal, meaning they care for and protect their eggs and newly hatched young. In the cold season, they can be found overwintering together with their eggs in dug-out nests made in the dirt.
How to identify them
Have you ever looked closely at an earwig? Or are those the type of bug you take a quick glance at and make a grossed-out face? Next time, take a closer look.
The earwig you are likely to find in Will County is called the European earwig. Coming in at less than 1 inch long, you will see their flat, reddish-brown body.
Take a look at their back. Can you see their wings that give them their name? Their wings are very short and rarely used, but if you are lucky enough to see them fanned out, you will see a rainbow of iridescence shining back at you. Earwigs have two slender antennae that have a beaded-like appearance.
On their abdomen, earwigs have a pair of pinchers. The female earwigs have close together, straight pinchers, or cerci, while the males have curved ones that almost look like a crab claw. They use these cerci to grab prey and to protect themselves from other earwigs.
Males are often found wrestling other males of similar size. Scientists found that earwigs who have asymmetrical cerci are better fighters than those who have matching ones. Next time you see an earwig, check out those pinchers. See if you can determine whether they would be a good fighter.
What they eat
Similar to ants, earwigs have chewing mouthparts — perfect for munching their favorite foods. Earwigs are omnivorous, which means they eat plants and animals. Just like most humans!
Earwigs are scavengers like beetles, flies and ants. They feed on damaged and decaying plant matter and weak, dying or dead insects. They are nature’s little cleanup crew!
Next time you have an earwig encounter, know they aren't coming for your ears! Find some courage, take deep breath and get a closer look at these often-disliked creatures.
