Unknown insect from Puerto Rico
December 19, 2009
My mother in law found this in her home in Puerto Rico, I have no idea what it is and I only have pictures. It black with tan spots on the black. Have 6 tan legs and the back look like horns. the head looks like an ant! (for some reason it somewhat similar to the insect drawing on the left of page). Can you help? Sadly my in laws don’t know any better and they already kill it…its a shame…i hate to kill insects!
Joel
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Hi Joel,
Sometimes we just send a quick identification answer to questions, and letters we plan to post take additional time.  Though we already informed you this was an Earwig, we are touched by your letter and want it to appear on our website.  We thought species identification might be easy since the markings are so prominent, but alas, BugGuide does not have any photos that resemble your lovely spotted Earwig.  Earwigs are generally nocturnal insects that sometimes do damage to garden plants and produce.  They are otherwise harmless to humans, though the name originates from the belief that earwigs will crawl into the ears of sleeping people, which probably occurred with more frequency when people slept on straw beds.  The forceps at the end of the abdomen can pinch slightly, but we doubt they can ever break through human skin.

It would be an honor to be on the page! I love your page and this is the third insect I send for identification! Keep the good work.

Update from Karl
December 23, 2009
Hi Daniel:
I believe this earwig is probably Doru albepes (Forficulidae: Forficulinae) which occurs throughout the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Information is hard to find but I did find one description that indicated a body length of 8-15 mm, with forceps 2.5-10 mm (males) and 2-3 mm (females). So this would be a male. The Earwig Research Centre website has several photos and drawings, including a female, male and male forceps (cerci). The individual in Joel’s photo appears to have a yellow patch on the side of the abdomen which I haven’t seen in any description for this species. I suspect that there are color variations that would account for this, but I suppose it could also be another closely related species. Regards.
Karl

A long bug called a Pricker bug, by the locals, has invaded my propert and even entered my home. I worry for my child’s safety.
August 22, 2009
The bug is long, about 2 inches in length, and very narrow body. It has a curved tail like a scorpion, but no pincher claws in the front like the scorpion. The pincher is on the end of the tail. Looked more like a stinger to me at first. It moves quickly, and when squished with a book, I had to push down HARD to kill it. It freaked me out because I thought it might be a scorpion of some sort, or at least a relative to the scorpion. My neighbor looked at the one I killed (I saved it in a baggy), and he called it a “Pincher” bug. But, I KNOW that’s not the correct name for this bug. He also told me they sting or pinch and it’s VERY painful. I have a child (who is allergic to almost all bugs, and has a severe reaction to even a tick or mosquito bite. A tick bi te swelled her entire face in the eye area and it looked red and puffy for days. People thought I beat my child because her eye was so swelled too.) in my home, and I am afraid she will unknowingly come across one and step on it or something, getting hurt. Are they poisonous? Are they dangerous? What are they?? I live in central Florida. I tend to seem them in the rainy times. They are dark colored, maybe black or dark brown. long and thin, tail curved up on end. Their shells are very strong, it was difficult to break it when I squished it with the book, took a couple times and alot of pressure before I heard the crunch. I hate bugs, and don’t usually go out of my way to kill them, just stay away from them. If I knew what this was, I could figure out how to get them gone from my yard, and when they come in the house. Please help me???? My main concern to find out about these bugs is to protect my daughter. Please help me to figure this out?? I will search for pics, and hopef ully I find one to send with this. If I don’t, I hope you have an image in mind already.
Alexis
Dade City Florida near forest, near residential area.

Adult male (bottom) and female (top) European earwigs, Foricula auricularia Linnaeus Photograph by: Jim Kalisch, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Dear Alexis,
Your inquiry has us totally baffled because you attached a photo lifted from the University of Nebraska Department of Entomology that clearly identifies your Pricker Bug as an European Earwig.  Armed with that information, the first website that pops up in an internet search is the Featured Creatures website that had quite detailed information on the European Earwig.  Earwigs are not poisonous, and though the forceps at the tip of the male’s abdomen can cause a slight pinch, your neighbor was exaggerating when he said it is “VERY painful.”  Comparing the pinch of an Earwig to the bite of a Tick or Mosquito, both of which can spread diseases, is irrational.  According to the CDC, a partial list of Tickborne Diseases includes Babesiosis (Babesia Infection), Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Lyme Disease, Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, and Tick Born Relapsing Fever.  Mosquitoes are an even more serious concern.  According to the AMCA website:  “Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism — over one million people die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. Not only can mosquitoes carry diseases that afflict humans, they also transmit several diseases and parasites that dogs and horses are very susceptible to.”  The National Center for Infectious Diseases website has the following partial list of Mosquito Borne Diseases:  Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis, La Crosse Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, Western Equine Encephalitis, Dengue Fever and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Malaria, Rift Valley Fever, and Yellow Fever.  Climate Change, Global Warming, and traveling around the world could cause some of these typically tropical diseases to surface in the U.S.  In our opinion, your squishing of an Earwig with a book constitutes Unnecessary Carnage.  You do not need to concern yourself with your daughter’s safety when it comes to Earwigs.

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What is this bug?
Hello, We love your website and have been a fan for years. My kids are now in Jr. High and we still check out the site to see what is new! I am sending you a picture of this strange bug we found on our kitchen floor. It was only 1/2 inch from one end to the other! Maybe you can tell us what it is! We hope it isn’t a yucky bug, like a roach or something!!! Thanks again for your great website!
The Bennetts
Alexandria, Virginia

European Earwig

Hi Bennetts,
You insect is a European Earwig, Forficula auricularia, and it is easily distinguised from native Earwigs by the distinctively shaped male forceps. Your specimen is a male. The species was probably introduced in the early 1900s, according to BugGuide. Earwigs may use their forceps to pinch people, but this is not harmful as there is no venom and the forceps would probably not be able to pierce the skin. If populations of Earwigs become too plentiful in the garden, they may cause damage to delicate blossoms as Earwigs will feed on flower bugs as well as decaying organic materials.

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