I’m from west central Alabama and we have been seeing these bugs around our house often could you please see if you could identify. I sent a message in on the 23 rd but have y heard back yet . I thought I’d try again.
Thanks. Karen Luepnitz
Dear Karen,
We are sorry about the delay. We are currently out of the Los Angeles office visiting family and friends, and we are poaching internet access from former neighbors in Ohio, so the time we are spending responding to identification requests is minimal. This is a Ring-Legged Earwig, Euborellia annulipes , which you may verify by comparing your image to this BugGuide image. According to BugGuide, their habitat is: “under debris, rocks, and bark in dry and damp places. Its ability to live indoors and habit of hiding in dark places means it can show up just about anywhere people go” and “Not uncommon in homes and gardens, though often displaced by other species, esp. the European Earwig. Whatever damage it does to crops like lettuce and strawberries is usually more than made up for by destroying small slugs, caterpillars, termites, and many other pests.”