EARWIGS – DERMAPTERA

This order of insects surprised me because I have seen them all of my life but never really took the time to learn about them. I saw them under rocks and in rotting wood, just squiggling about and seeming to have no purpose in the greater scheme of nature. I was so wrong. What I have known as “Earwigs” are not dangerous little pests but very beneficial insects. They consume organic debris, helping along natural decomposition, and they are advantageous agriculturally because they prey on aphids.
An unusual feature of these insects is that the female will tend to her eggs until they hatch and can survive on their own.