Insect earwigs: a photo, a description of what is dangerous

Meeting with an earwig in many people causes a feeling of disgust, disgust, and even fear. A frightening sight of an insect having two sharp swords at the end and militantly sticking out mustache makes it quickly leave the room. What is the danger of an ordinary earwig for a person, this article will tell.

On a note!

Quite often, an earwig is called a double-tail. However, this statement is incorrect. The bifurcated tail is the only generalizing attribute that an earwig and a two-tailed have. That is why people often confuse these insects.

What does a double-tail look like?

Two-tails - representatives of the order of the mandibular are small arthropods, whose body length is 2-5 mm. However, giants up to 50-60 mm can also be found. They prefer to settle in moist, damp places.

A distinctive feature of two-tails or, as they are also called, a tailed tail is the absence of pigmentation of the body and eyes, the function of which is performed by a pair of cerci.

On a note!

Cerci are sword-shaped processes located on the abdominal segment at the end of the arthropod's body. They can be long in the form of threads or short claw-shaped, which is why the two-tailed is often confused with an earwig.

Some varieties of double-tails, if necessary, lose cerci, which grow again after a while.

Earwig Description

An earwig is an insect belonging to the order of the winged-winged animals:

• is the owner of an elongated, flat body with a brown-chestnut color;
• larger males (up to 2-4 cm), the body length of females does not exceed 1.5 cm;
• adult individuals have membranous wings, some subspecies - even 2 pairs, but prefer to move on the ground;
• on the head are small eyes and a filiform tendrils, which consist of 11-14 segments (they can be seen in the photo of the earwig).

The claw-shaped processes are located on the abdomen, due to which insects are called “tweezers”. Moreover, more claws are developed in males. Why do they need insects? Such processes serve not only to retain production, but also to protect. At times when the earwig is in danger, it bends the body, expands the cerci and emits a strongly smelling substance. What the earwig looks like can be seen in the photo.

Habitat

Most often, the insect earwig lives in moist, swampy and cool places: in compost pits, in piles of last year's leaves, under stones and fallen trees. Often it can be found near a reservoir in moist soil. Able to live an insect in a residential building. Not wanting to allow such a neighborhood, it is necessary to maintain a complete order in the house.

Breeding

Amazing is the way the earwigs breed. The process of mating insects lasts for several hours. After which, after two months, the fertilized female makes a tunnel up to 8 cm deep, ending in expansion. It is there that it multiplies, laying eggs, the number of which varies from 30 to 60 pieces.

Interesting!

The female reliably protects future offspring, both from enemies and from her relatives.

In early March, she lays eggs again, the number of eggs in the clutch does not exceed two dozen. The first larvae will be able to be born already at the end of spring, becoming sexually mature by the end of summer. In order to winter, insects crawl into underground minks, where they fall into hibernation (hibernation).

Nutrition

The diet of the insect is quite diverse. Honey, various vegetables and fruits are what the earwigs eat. They cause enormous damage to plants, eating the edges of the leaves, gnawing their stems and roots. Pests will not refuse from mushrooms, seeds or moss. Do not disdain insects and food debris left on the table. The favorite delicacy of earwigs are dahlias, chrysanthemums, asters, roses, phloxes and poppies.

On a note!

However, there is also the benefit of a beekeeping garden pest, since it is able to eat various harmful insects: caterpillars, flies, spider mites and aphids. In addition, a pinch contributes to the destruction of fallen fruits and parasitic fungi.

Therefore, the presence of a single individual does not require its urgent destruction. With an excessive amount of pests in the garden, and even more so in the house, urgent measures to pest control just a must.

What is dangerous earwig for man

The question whether an earwig is dangerous for a person is puzzled by many. After all, the myth of the ability of an insect climb into the ears of man makes me think.

If such a situation does occur, you need to drip a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or vegetable oil into the auricle. After that, a flashlight shines in the ear, allowing the insect to crawl out into the light. If there is no result, specialist advice is required. However, do not worry about this - such cases are quite rare and occur no more often than with other insects.

The fact that the earwigs bite is confirmed. The substance released by insects has a specific smell, but is not toxic. His biting tweezers secrete during the defense, trying in this way to scare off his opponent. They bite using claws, but they do not hurt very much. Children with a more delicate skin usually feel pain when they bite.

Symptoms of an earwig bite in a person with an allergy can be as follows:

• the presence of redness on the skin;
• swelling and swelling around the site of damage;
• the appearance of blisters resembling herpes.

Below is a photo of an earwig bite.

How to treat a bite

Based on the above, the question arises of what to do if an earwig has bitten. Treatment of an insect bite is as follows. If these symptoms appear, lubricate the damaged area with an alcohol solution. In addition, an antihistamine is required.

Earwig is a plant pest that causes a lot of trouble to gardening enthusiasts. The presence of an insect in most cases causes crop loss.