The European Earwig (
Forficula auricularia), also known as Common Earwig is an omnivorous insect in the family Forficulidae. The name "Earwig" is the common name given to the insect order Dermaptera and comes from the rumor that these insects burrowed into the brains of humans through the ears. Earwigs are nocturnal, active at night and hide during the day in cracks and crevices. Adult European earwigs are about 13-15 mm long and are dark reddish-brown in color. The head is reddish and the legs are yellow-brown in color. Adults bear a claw-like forceps at the tip of the abdomen, called cerci. The cerci are the most distinctive feature of earwigs. In the male the cerci are more curved, than in females. The cerci are used for defense, copulation and capturing prey.
I captured these images early in the morning. There was a large population of earwigs, feeding on male marijuana flowers. Not sure what they were consuming in the flowers, pollen, nectar or other flowers parts. Generally they feed on insects, plants, ripe fruit, and garbage. In below images the first two are of males and the last two are of females.
European Earwig - Forficula auricularia
