Earwig
Pincher bugs that shelter in moist garden debris and wander indoors in wet weather.
Earwig (Dermaptera) is a low-concern pest in Florida homes and yards. For general pest control in Florida's Treasure & Space Coast, Rhino Pest Management sends licensed (#JB242881) and insured technicians and backs the work with a free re-service guarantee; 5.0★ from 16 Google reviews. Free estimate: (772) 589-6842.
Photo: John Robert McPherson (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
About 12–25 mm, elongated, reddish-brown to dark brown with a distinctive pair of curved forceps (pincers) at the tail end. Six legs, segmented abdomen. Some species have wings folded under short wing covers.
Moist harborage under mulch, bark, leaf litter, logs, flowerpots and debris near the foundation. They enter homes through ground-level gaps during wet conditions.
- Reddish-brown insects with rear pincers in flowerpots, under mulch and bark
- Earwigs appearing indoors in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms after heavy rain
- Feeding damage on soft plant tissue — irregular holes in leaves, flower petals and seedlings
Earwigs do not bite people and the pincers are mostly defensive. They're primarily a nuisance when they invade indoors. In the garden they can damage seedlings and ornamentals, though they also eat pest insects.
Is this urgent?
No. Earwig is a nuisance, not a threat to your health or your house. Most people fold it into a regular service visit rather than booking a special trip. If the numbers keep climbing after you've dealt with the moisture and food sources, that's when it's worth a call.
Rhino treats the foundation perimeter and moisture-retaining mulch and organic debris zones, combined with sealing ground-level entry points, to prevent indoor invasion.
Our General Pest Control serviceMore occasional invaders
Silvery, fish-shaped insects that damage books, paper and starchy items in dark, humid areas.
ViewLong, cylindrical, many-legged arthropods that migrate indoors during heavy Florida rains.
ViewFast-running, many-legged arthropods with banded legs that hunt insects inside homes.
ViewScientific source
For the biology behind this page, the University of Florida's IFAS Extension publishes a detailed Featured Creatures profile of this species — free to read, and written by entomologists in this state:
Ringlegged Earwig, Euborellia annulipes (Lucas) — UF/IFAS Extension