Ringlegged Earwigs: Dead of unknown causes

bugman

May 6th, 2006 at 12:00 am

Tags

Unidentified Beetle??
Hi,
I need help identifying this beetle. I looked through the beetles on your site and couldn’t find one quite like this one. I started seeing larvae in our bedroom in late September. (About the time my antique bedroom suite came back from being refinished and stored in a warehouse. I was worried that they came with the bed.) The larvae looked similar to carpet beetle larvae. In fact the people who came to spray suggested that is what they were. Then they started to get larger. They are now crawling around the house. (They are not in any cabinets.) We had them come spray again and they could not identify the bug. We clean and vacuum all the time and they seem to keep coming back. Can you help us identify the bug so that we get rid of it? We live in a rural area near Memphis, Tennessee. The bug varies in size from .5 centimeter to 1.5 centimeters. The legs have are brown and varied. Please help! My son will be crawling soon and I want these critters gone!
Thanks!
Laura

Hi Laura,
The insects in your photo are Earwigs, not Beetles. They often enter homes, being attracted to lights, but they are basically harmless. The pincers can give a slight nip, but really can’t break the skin.

Update from Eric Eaton (01/04/2006)
” The earwigs are ringlegged earwigs, a pretty common, flightless species in urban areas.”

WTB? is Chastised!!!

earwig carnage answer
Mr. Bugman,
I am almost totally impressed by your site and your knowledge. Way cool nonetheless. “Almost” because I’m a bit disappointed by your answer to the person in Tennessee who hired a pest sprayer who couldn’t even identify an earwig (not high standards there fer sure). It seemed like a teaching moment, especially since she was more concerned about the presence of a harmless insect than the fact that she is spraying her house needlessly with a baby around. And she shouldn’t be hiring a total ignoramous to deal with her bug issues. Or maybe the carpet bug ID was a deliberate ruse to encourage her to spray.
Dave Tamayo
Sacramento, CA

Carpet Beetles (March 9, 2008)
Linear Earwig (June 16, 2005)
Earwig (July 5, 2004)
Earwigs (May 12, 2003)
Earwigs (February 18, 2002)