American Earwigs

A Fifth Frozen Earwig

On Sunday, August 21st, I decided to look outside for another common earwig to use for comparison. Within a minute I found this one, but it appears to be the dangerous type. Right now I'm no longer certain about which earwig is what species or what their differences are, but I do think at least some of them are quite dangerous pests. And, who knows how many of them there are around?

Perhaps scientists shouldn't disparage folklore so much. There might be a reason for some of these tales. I have a book that lists a Little Earwig known scientifically as "Labia Minor" and classified under Labiidae Dermaptera. And its range covers the entire contiguous United States.

Green Anole lizards used to be almost the only ones found around here besides skinks, but now it's mostly some Tex-Mex species with a ridge on its back and a bull head. Fire ants and Carpenter ants have replaced bull ants and most other ants that used to come into our yard. Even honey bees have seemed to decline after killer bees arose. Go figure.

Three And A Half Frozen Earwigs

Digital Photos With A Better Camera

When I saw this earwig on July 18th, I stomped on it with my shoe. The uneven pattern on my shoe's sole crushed its head and thorax but left the lower abdomen and pincers unscathed. I froze that piece along with the other earwigs. I had let the common earwig used earlier for comparison go after having cooled it down in the refrigerator, but I think a Green Anole lizard ate it before it could move about freely.

So, in the last year and a half, I have at least taken out four of these dangerous earwigs and all their possible offspring (though one might be in a state of suspended animation). But it's likely that there are more around somewheres. You might try ultrasonic waves to drive them away, though I'm not sure how well that will work.

P.S. I was given a better camera after I used my credit card at hhgregg.

P.P.S. And, in my opinion, it was a big mistake for the U.S. to place "space bombers" and "killer satellites" in orbit. They should probably bring them back down. At the least, these acts have set a bad precedent.