Subject: Unknown creepy crawler!
Location: Chandler, Arizona
November 16, 2016 12:18 pm
Hello Bugman! We live in Chandler, Arizona & see all kinds of different insects. Found this one in my dog’s empty food bowl this morning & have never seen anything like it! With a quick first glance, I thought it was a small scorpion, but once I picked up the bowl, I saw it only has 6 legs & no “stinger tail”. We think it’s an earwig. Should we be concerned? Can you help us identify this little guy?
Signature: K. Garrett
Dear K. Garrett,
You are correct that this is an Earwig, and we believe we have correctly identified it as a Striped Earwig or Shore Earwig, Labidura riparia, thanks to this Bugguide image. According to BugGuide: “introduced in NA, occurs across the southern states” and its habitat is “Coastal/riparian.” How close you are to a body of water? BugGuide also indicates: “Preys on various invertebrates, but may occasionally switch to plant material.”