Earwig

Despite its name and threatening appearance, the common earwig is a harmless and interesting creature. Earwigs can be found in damp crevices in houses, gardens and woodland where they feed on decaying plant and animal matter and other insects. Their pincers can give a small nip to a human but they are normally used to scare away predators and to help them tuck their wings away. It was once commonly believed that earwigs would burrow into people's ears at night and lay eggs in their brains. In fact the story still circulates as an urban myth. Earwigs are not parasitic and would rather lay their eggs under a stone. The best method of avoiding a plague of earwigs is to deny them suitable living conditions close to the house. Heavy plant growth and compost heaps near to the house provide excellent habitats for them. Chemical control of earwigs is not necessary in the majority of cases.

Earwig: Description & Life Cycle

The earwig is a fascinating species, and is one of the few non-social insects to show dedicated parental care of offspring.

Description:

Earwigs are 8-18mm long.
They have a long body, brown in colour.
A pair of pincer like appendages at the end of it's abdomen.
Wings that fold away behind the thorax.
Pincers are more curved in the male than the female.

Life cycle:

between November and February, the female lays 50-90 white eggs in an undergound nest or within rotting wood
she defends the eggs against predators and keeps them free from mould be licking them
these take about 10-90 days to hatch, depending on the temperature
after they hatch the female continues to care for the nymphs
when strong enough the nymphs leave the nest and fend for themselves
they resemble the adult but are paler and lack wings