Earwigs / RHS Gardening

Maybe your like

RHS Home
Gardening Advice

Earwigs RHS Advice Guide Earwigs are omnivorous, they feed on other small invertebrates and plant material. They can reduce fruit aphid problems but they may feed on flowers and leaves of clematis, dahlia, chrysanthemums and occasionally other plants.

By The RHS Advice Team

Quick facts
What are earwigs?
Symptoms
Management
Biology
See also

Earwigs and the damage caused to a cosmos flower. Credit: RHS/Entomology.

Quick facts

Common name - Common earwig

Scientific name - Forficula auricularia

Plants affected - Mainly dahlia, clematis and chrysanthemum

Main symptoms - Young leaves and flower petals are eaten. Earwigs present on the plants after dark

Most active - May-September

What are earwigs?

The common European earwig is a brown insect, it is up to 13-15 mm long (about ½ in), and has a pair of distinctive pincers or forceps on their rear end.There have been several other species of earwig found in Britain, only one of these is widespread but the lesser earwig, Labia minor, is occassionally seen. It is half the size of the common earwig (about 6 mm). It can be found in compost heaps and does not damage plants. Further information on this species can be found at the Orthoptera and allied insects webpage.

Symptoms

Earwigs are beneficial on fruit trees where they eat aphids
Flower petals and young leaves of some plants can be eaten; older foliage is occasionally reduced to a tattered network of veins
Inspect plants by torchlight on a mild night to confirm earwigs are a cause of damage, feeding by slugs and some caterpillars can appear similar
Earwigs hide in sheltered places during the day and emerge after dark to feed

Benefits of earwigs for control of fruit aphids

On fruit trees earwigs can give good control of fruit aphids and do not cause damage to the trees or fruit. Providing shelters such as flower pots loosely stuffed with hay in trees can help increase numbers.

Management

On fruit trees earwigs should be encouraged as they are useful predators of fruit aphids
Tolerate earwigs in the garden, they are part of the natural balance and in some cases, especially fruit trees and shrubs, can help reduce aphid numbers. Feeding damage to flowers and leaves from earwigs is often superficial although it can be frustrating if perfect blooms are a necessity.
Check susceptible plants frequently from spring onwards so action can be taken before a damaging population has developed
Trap earwigs by placing upturned flower pots loosely stuffed with hay or straw on canes among plants being attacked (This can also provide useful shelter when encouraging earwigs in fruit trees). Every morning shake out the pots and remove the earwigs (Do not do this if encouraging earwigs in fruit trees) This may not protect plants when earwigs are abundant, but it is a useful means of monitoring their numbers

Biology

In midwinter and again in early summer batches of eggs are laid in the soil by adult female earwigs. Earwigs are one of the few insects where the adults show some parental care, protecting the eggs and nymphs from predators and fungal infections; the female earwigs remain with their eggs until they have hatched. Earwig nymphs look like smaller, often paler, versions of the adult insect; as nymphs they have pincers. Female earwigs usually have straight pincers at the rear end, whilst those of males are curved. The pincers are harmless although they may be raised in self defence. Earwigs overwinter as adult insects in the soil and other sheltered places.Earwigs are largely nocturnal, coming out to feed at night during late spring to early autumn and prefer soft tissues to older foliage. Earwigs also feed on aphids and some other invertebrates and can help reduce populations particularly in fruit trees.

RHS Guides, you may also like

Category: Advice
Chemical labels explained
The labels on garden chemicals provide important information on when, where and how to use that product. Our handy guide helps you decipher this information so you can be sure to use them as safely as possible.
Category: Advice
Ants
Ants are abundant and important insects in many gardens. Although ants can cause concern they are an important part of biodiversity.
Category: Advice
Aphid predators
Most plants can be fed on by sap sucking greenfly, blackfly or other aphids. Aphids however, are food for many predatory insects and part of a balanced garden ecosystem. Some of these predators can be purchased as biological controls for aphids on greenhouse plants.
Category: Advice
Aphids
Aphids are sap-sucking insects, they have many predators and are the basis for many food chains. The sap sucking can cause a lack of plant vigour, distorted growth and often excrete a sticky substance (honeydew) on which sooty moulds can grow. Some aphids transmit plant viruses.
Category: Advice
Cherry blackfly
Cherry blackfly can cause distorted foliage on cherries, this does not stop cherry trees from flowering or bearing fruit.
Category: Advice
Currant aphids
Three aphid (blackfly/greenfly) species feed on currants and can cause distortion to leaves, the currant-sowthistle aphid, currant blister aphid and permanent currant aphid.
Category: Advice
Currant blister aphid
Currant blister aphid is common on red, white and black-currants. It causes distorted growth which can be very noticeable. The plant’s vigour and ability to bear fruit is not greatly affected.
Category: Advice
Earthworms
Britain has nearly 30 species of earthworm about 16 of these are likely to be found in gardens. They vary in size and colour, all help create good soil structure and fertility.
Category: Advice
Fruit aphids
Fruit trees and bushes can be hosts of sap sucking aphids (commonly known as greenfly, blackfly or plant lice) during spring and summer. These often cause distortion to foliage but may not affect the crop.
Category: Advice
Fungus gnats (sciarid flies)
Fungus gnats, also known as sciarid flies, are associated with damp composts especially in house plants and seed trays.
Category: Advice
Ground beetles and rove beetles
Many species of ground and rove beetle can be found in gardens. Part of the biodiversity a healthy garden supports most of these insects are predatory.
Category: Advice
Leatherjackets
The larvae of some crane flies (leatherjackets) can damage lawns, small plants in garden borders and vegetable plots by eating roots. They are often more numerous after a wet autumn, as damp conditions favour survival of eggs and larvae.
Category: Advice
Millipedes
Millipedes are part of the biodiversity of a healthy garden. They feed on decaying organic matter and can be numerous in soils with a high organic matter.
Category: Advice
Pear-bedstraw aphid
Pear-bedstraw aphid can cause leaf discolouration and distortion on pear trees in spring.
Category: Advice
Plum aphids
Two aphid species commonly occur on plums, damsons, greengages and sloe. These are the plum leaf-curling aphid and mealy plum aphid.
Category: Advice
Pollen beetles
Pollen beetles are sometimes abundant in flowers but are not usually damaging.
Category: Advice
Raspberry and blackberry aphids
Several species of aphids can suck sap from the leaves, shoot tips and flower stalks of raspberry, blackberry and other related hybrid berries.
Category: Advice
Rosy apple aphid
Rosy apple aphid is one of several aphid species that can occur on apple trees, it causes leaves to curl and can cause fruit distortion.
Category: Advice
Vine weevil
Vine weevil is an insect that can feed on a wide range of ornamental plants and fruits, especially those grown in containers. Adult vine weevils eat leaves and the grubs eat roots.
Category: Advice
Woolly aphid
Woolly aphid is common on edible and ornamental apple trees, pyracantha and Cotoneaster horizontalis. The insects produce a white waxy 'fluff' that can be mistaken for fungal growth.