What Do Earwigs Eat

If you’ve ever turned over a damp stone or opened an old compost bin to find a scuttling insect with menacing pincers, you’ve likely met an earwig. A common question for gardeners and homeowners is, what do earwigs eat? Understanding their diet is the first step to managing them effectively around your property.

Earwigs are omnivorous scavengers, feeding on both soft plant matter and small insects. This dual diet makes them a complex creature in the garden ecosystem. They can be both a minor pest and a helpful predator, depending on the circumstances and the specific food sources available to them.

This guide will give you a clear picture of an earwig’s menu. You’ll learn what attracts them to your garden or home, how their feeding habits change with the seasons, and practical ways to protect your plants if they become a problem.

An earwig’s diet is remarkably broad, which explains their success in so many environments. They are not picky eaters and will consume almost any organic material they can find. Their primary feeding tools are their strong mandibles, which they use to chew plant material and capture prey.

Their scavenging nature means they rarely pass up an easy meal. This adaptability is key to their survival from spring through fall, and even into mild winter periods in some regions.

The Omnivorous Diet Of A Common Earwig

The European earwig, the species most often encountered in North America, is a perfect example of this flexible feeder. Its daily intake can vary wildly based on opportunity.

One day it might be munching on aphids on your rose bush, and the next it could be feeding on decaying fruit under your apple tree. This section breaks down the two main categories of their omnivorous diet.

Plant-Based Food Sources

Earwigs have a particular fondness for tender, succulent plant tissues. They often feed at night, so the damage might appear suddenly. They typically leave irregular holes or notches in leaves, petals, and young shoots.

Common plant foods include:

Seedlings and young transplants: These are especially vulnerable because of their soft stems and leaves.
Flowers: They enjoy petals, particularly from dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, and roses. Blooms can look ragged or full of small holes.
Fruits and vegetables: They target soft fruits like strawberries, apricots, and raspberries. They will also eat corn silks and can damage vegetable seedlings.
Decaying plant matter: This is a major part of their diet. They readily consume rotting fruit, fallen leaves, and other decomposing vegetation in the garden.

Insect Prey And Protein Sources

The beneficial side of earwigs comes from their appetite for other insects. They are slow-moving but effective predators of many common garden pests.

Their pincers, called cerci, are used for defense and to help capture and hold prey. They do not sting or bite humans in a meaningful way, despite their fearsome look.

Insect prey commonly includes:

Aphids: These soft-bodied pests are a favorite target. A single earwig can consume a large number of aphids in a night.
Mites and insect eggs: They will clean eggs off of leaves and bark, providing a form of natural pest control.
Small caterpillars and larvae: They can take on newly hatched larvae or smaller species.
Decaying insect carcasses: As scavengers, they will also feed on dead insects they encounter.

Seasonal Changes In Earwig Feeding Habits

What earwigs eat shifts significantly with the seasons. Temperature, moisture, and food availability all dictate their dietary choices throughout the year.

Spring And Summer Feeding

This is their most active feeding period. As temperatures warm, earwigs emerge from overwintering sites with a strong appetite.

In early spring, they often target emerging seedlings because other food sources are still scarce. As summer progresses and insect populations boom, they may shift more towards preying on aphids and mites, especially if plant material becomes tougher and drier.

They are highly active on warm, humid nights. Summer is also when they reproduce, so females require more protein for egg production, potentially increasing their predation.

Fall And Winter Behavior

As daylight shortens and temperatures drop, earwigs begin seeking shelter. Their feeding slows down considerably.

In the fall, they are drawn to decaying plant matter and will congregate under piles of leaves, mulch, or boards. This provides both food and shelter. They may also be more likely to wander indoors accidentally during this seeking phase, looking for protected crevices.

During winter, they enter a state of reduced activity. In cold climates, they hibernate in soil or protected spaces. In milder regions, they may become active during warm spells and feed on whatever dormant insects or decaying material they can find, but feeding is minimal.

Earwigs In The Garden: Pest Or Beneficial

This is the central question for every gardener. The answer is not simple: earwigs can be both. Their role depends entirely on the balance of their diet in your specific garden.

When their population is in check and they focus on eating insects and decaying matter, they are beneficial. When their numbers swell and they run out of prey, they turn to your prized plants.

When Earwigs Become A Problem For Plants

You’ll know earwigs have crossed into pest territory when you see specific types of damage. They rarely kill mature, healthy plants, but they can severely damage seedlings and flowers.

Look for these signs:

Irregular holes chewed in leaves and petals, often appearing overnight.
Young seedlings completely eaten or cut off at the stem.
Damage to soft fruits, like strawberries, where they eat shallow pits into the fruit’s surface.
Silk damage on sweet corn, which can interfere with pollination.

They are especially problematic in damp, mulched gardens with plenty of hiding places. Gardens with an abundance of decaying organic material can support larger populations that eventually need more food than the debris provides.

The Beneficial Role Of Earwigs As Predators

Before you decide to eliminate all earwigs, consider their helpful side. A healthy garden ecosystem relies on a variety of creatures to keep pest populations balanced.

Earwigs contribute by:

Providing natural aphid control. They can significantly reduce aphid colonies without any chemical intervention.
Cleaning up decaying plant and animal matter, which helps with nutrient cycling.
Preying on other small, soft-bodied insect pests and their eggs.

In many cases, tolerating a small earwig population can mean fewer problems with aphids and mites. The key is management, not total eradication.

What Attracts Earwigs To Your Yard And Home

Earwigs seek three primary things: food, moisture, and shelter. If your property provides an abundance of these, you will likely have earwigs. Understanding the attractions is the first step in control.

Outdoor Conditions That Encourage Earwigs

Your garden’s layout and maintenance practices play a huge role. Earwigs thrive in damp, cluttered environments.

Common outdoor attractants include:

Excessive mulch: Thick layers of mulch, especially near foundations, provide ideal damp hiding spots.
Dense ground cover: Ivy, pachysandra, and other thick plantings offer perfect daytime shelter.
Decaying wood and leaf piles: These are prime real estate for harboring large numbers.
Overwatered garden beds: Consistently wet soil is highly attractive.
Abundant plant debris: Leaving fallen fruit and dead leaves on the ground creates a constant food source.

How And Why Earwigs Enter Homes

Earwigs do not intentionally infest homes like ants or cockroaches. They are outdoor insects that come inside by accident, usually while seeking shelter from dry or hot conditions.

They typically enter through:

Cracks in foundations or gaps around utility pipes.
Under poorly sealed doors or basement windows.
Through torn window screens.

Once inside, they usually die quickly due to lack of moisture. They are not reproducing in your home and do not cause structural damage. Finding them indoors is often a sign of high outdoor populations or weather extremes driving them to seek a different environment.

Managing Earwig Populations Through Food Source Control

The most effective, long-term strategy for managing earwigs is to make your garden less appealing by removing their preferred food and shelter. This approach is safer for the environment and more sustainable than relying on chemicals.

Garden Hygiene And Cultural Practices

Simple changes in how you maintain your garden can reduce earwig habitat dramatically.

Reduce mulch depth. Keep organic mulch to a thin layer (2-3 inches) and pull it back several inches from plant stems and house foundations.
Clean up debris. Regularly remove fallen fruit, dead leaves, and spent flowers from garden beds.
Eliminate hiding places. Remove unnecessary boards, stones, and dense ground cover near areas you want to protect, like vegetable plots.
Water wisely. Water plants in the morning so the soil surface dries by evening, when earwigs become active. Use drip irrigation instead of overhead sprinklers to keep foliage dry.
Prune for airflow. Keep plants pruned to reduce damp, dense foliage where earwigs can hide during the day.

Trapping And Physical Removal Methods

Trapping is a highly effective, non-toxic way to reduce local earwig numbers. It works by exploiting their need for shelter.

Simple DIY traps include:

Rolled newspaper or cardboard tubes: Dampen them slightly and place them in the garden overnight. In the morning, shake the trapped earwigs into a bucket of soapy water.
Low-sided cans with oil: Bury a small can (like a tuna can) up to its rim and fill it with a small amount of vegetable oil. The earwigs are attracted, fall in, and drown.
Bamboo or hose traps: Short pieces of hollow bamboo or old garden hose laid on the soil make excellent daytime traps that you can empty daily.

Place traps near damaged plants or along foundations. Consistency is key; trap every night during peak activity to see a real reduction in damage.

Protecting Specific Plants From Earwig Damage

Some plants are simply more tasty to earwigs than others. If you grow these, you may need to take extra protective steps.

Defending Seedlings And Young Plants

Seedlings are most vulnerable because they can be completely destroyed. Protection from the moment they are planted is crucial.

Effective methods include:

Collars: Use plastic cups or cardboard tubes (like toilet paper rolls) placed around individual seedlings, pressed slightly into the soil.
Diatomaceous earth: Create a dry barrier by sprinkling food-grade diatomaceous earth in a circle around plants. This powder damages the insects’ exoskeletons. It must be reapplied after rain or watering.
Nightly checks: Go out after dark with a flashlight to hand-pick earwigs off of young plants. This is very effective for small gardens.

Safeguarding Flowers And Fruit Crops

For prized blooms and fruits, you need to create physical barriers that prevent earwigs from reaching them.

Consider these tactics:

For flowers like dahlias, apply a sticky barrier product (like Tanglefoot) around the stems to prevent earwigs from climbing up from the soil.
Use floating row covers over strawberry beds or other low-growing crops. Secure the edges tightly to the soil so earwigs cannot crawl underneath.
For corn, you can place a drop of mineral oil on the tip of each ear after the silks have wilted to deter earwigs from entering.
Keep fruit trees picked clean of fallen, decaying fruit, which is a major attractant.

Common Myths About Earwig Diets And Behavior

Earwigs are surrounded by old wives’ tales. Let’s clarify some common misconceptions so you can focus on real facts.

Do Earwigs Really Crawl Into Ears

This is the most persistent myth, and it’s where their name comes from. The idea that earwigs seek out human ears to lay eggs or burrow into brains is completely false.

They seek dark, tight crevices for shelter, and a human ear canal could theoretically seem like one, but such an event is extraordinarily rare and accidental. They are not parasitic and have no interest in humans as a food source or habitat. The myth likely persists because of their frightening pincers and the old, superstitious name “ear-wiggle.”

Are Earwig Pincers Dangerous

An earwig’s cerci look dangerous, but they are relatively harmless to people. They use them for defense against other insects and to capture prey.

If you handle an earwig roughly, it might pinch your skin in self-defense. The pinch can be surprising but is very rarely strong enough to break the skin, and they do not inject any venom. They are not aggressive toward humans and will always try to escape rather than confront you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Earwig Diets

Do Earwigs Eat Wood Or Fabric

No, earwigs do not eat wood, fabric, or structural materials like termites or moths do. They are not a threat to the structure of your home or to your clothing. Their mandibles are designed for chewing soft plant matter and insects, not for boring into wood or consuming fibers. Any damage they cause is strictly related to living plants or stored food products like flour (if they get inside).

What Do Baby Earwigs Eat

Baby earwigs, called nymphs, have a diet similar to adults but require softer food. The mother earwig actually shows rare insect maternal care by guarding her eggs and newly hatched nymphs. She may bring them small bits of food initially. The nymphs will feed on very tender plant shoots, pollen, and tiny insects like aphid larvae. As they grow and molt, their diet expands to match that of mature earwigs.

What Do Earwigs Drink

Earwigs get most of their necessary moisture from the food they eat, particularly from juicy plant tissues and insect prey. They do require a damp environment to prevent dessication. This is why they are so common in moist soil, under wet mulch, and in other humid microclimates. They can absorb water through their exoskeleton to some degree from their surroundings, but they do not need to seek out standing water to drink in the way some insects do.

Do Earwigs Eat Ants Or Spiders

It is uncommon. Earwigs prefer slow-moving, soft-bodied prey. Ants are often too aggressive and well-defended for an earwig to handle. Spiders are predators themselves and would likely win a confrontation. An earwig might scavenge a dead ant or spider, but it is not typically an active predator of these insects. Their hunting is focused on easier targets like aphid colonies or insect eggs that cannot fight back.

What Eats Earwigs

Earwigs are part of the food chain. Several animals and insects help keep their populations in check naturally. Common predators include birds, toads, frogs, and predatory beetles like ground beetles. Centipedes and some species of spiders will also prey on them. Encouraging these predators in your garden by providing bird baths, toad houses, and diverse plantings is a great natural way to help control earwig numbers without any effort on your part.