What Do Earwigs Do With Those Pincers Anyway? | Deep Look

Earwigs are equipped with some pretty imposing pincers on their rear, and they're not afraid to use them. But when it comes to these appendages, size isn't everything.

DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.

Many animals seem to show a preference for symmetry in a potential mate. It can be a clue that the mate has the genes necessary to develop properly and thrive in an environment full of stresses and dangers.

But in some critters buck the trend. Like the earwig, a diminutive insect found on every continent except Antarctica.

Andrew ZInk, an associate professor of biology at San Francisco State University, has been looking at how symmetry affects earwigs success when it comes to social interactions.

He’s studying maritime earwigs, a larger and more powerful cousin to the common European earwig you might find in your backyard. Both creatures bear fearsome looking pincers on their backsides. And they aren’t afraid to use them to defend themselves. Zink knows all about that.

--- Do earwigs climb into your ear?
The quick answer is no. Earwigs are not interested in climbing into your ear to lay their eggs or otherwise. They’re no more likely than any other bug to accidentally find its way into you ear. The name earwig come from the old english words for ear and insect. It may have been named after the shape of the common European earwig’s wings, which when extended resemble a human ear.

--- Do earwigs pinch people?
Earwigs will use their pincers to defend themselves, but the pinch is typically not strong enough to be considered dangerous.

--- Do earwigs fly?
Male common European earwigs have wings and can fly to disperse and find mates. Females do not have wings or fly. Neither male nor female maritime earwigs have wings or fly.

--- What do earwigs eat?
Most earwigs are scavengers and omnivores. In addition to scavenging and eating plants, the common European earwigs also hunts small prey like aphids. Maritime earwigs are carnivorous hunting smaller arthropods like sand hoppers.

---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science:

---+ For more information:

Biologists probe asymmetric warfare between earwigs

Asymmetric Forceps Increase Fighting Success among Males of Similar size in the Maritime Earwig

Sexual selection by the seashore: the roles of body size and weaponry in mate choice and competition in the maritime earwig (Anisolabis maritima)

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#deeplook #earwig #pincers

[KQEDDeepLook]

Looks like there are lots of questions about how exactly male earwigs with more asymmetric pincers to their advantage during fights.According to Muñoz and Zink, earwigs slide the straighter side under their opponent and then bring down the the tip of their more curved side onto the top of their opponent’s abdomen. So instead of just grabbing their opponent, they are now poking them with the point of that curved side. Sometimes they apply enough pressure to actually penetrate their opponent’s abdomen, which is usually a fatal injury. There are illustrations in the scientific article.

[serbiancrusader]

Earwigs want nothing to do with your ears.

Sounds like something an Earwig would say

[Rhobyn]

"So what was your PhD on?"
"Earwig death matches."

[hilariousskullnamedcatzo]

I like how they have the decency to make sure to fight someone their own size

[vinvent]

Most Insects: I will tear my opponent in half, feast on their insides and use their hollow corpse as a cradle for my offspring
Earwigs: If I squish him harder then he sqishes me he'll go away. only if we're evenly matched tho, wouldn't want the match to be unfair

[clerivaldojunior]

"Hey mate, are ya gonna stand right there or we'll fight?"
"Hold on let me turn around."

[GageAndrist]

you're not supposed to talk about bug fight club

[alexbelle]

When YouTube recommendations explains a childhood curiosity that you forgot you had.

[Your_Future_Overlord]

I remember when I was a kid there was a wheeled cooler in my grandpa's backyard that hadn't been used for years. It was overgrown with mosses and embedded with dirt. I'd often open it up to see a huge mass of earwigs all crawling about the walls and bottom, along with their eggs tucked away. I never told anyone about them for fear that they'd be exterminated, but I remember for three solid years those earwigs would make that cooler their home.

Unfortunately when my estranged uncle of sorts tricked my grandpa into signing over the house he had the entire backyard reworked. Last time I ever looked in that cooler all those earwigs were gone and the inside was completely cleaned out.

I'm not saying the backyard should have been left in disarray, but in the time it became overgrown a lot of animals made their homes there. It was sad seeing all of that get taken away from them, and that house taken away from my grandpa.

[waypatience]

"Turns out females don't care if a guy's pincers might be a little crooked" 3:37
Well, that's good to know...

[MyHeroLucille]

So basically the males randomly encounter one another and play slapass for a moment then go on their interesting indeed.

[excellinkus]

Studying the effectiveness of symmetry of earwigs' pincers in fighting is a great subject for a Ph.D. student to build a career on.

[Stroud]

A few years ago, we started getting earwigs in our house. My wife was freaking out until I explained to her that they don't actually go in your ears. A few weeks went by, and I woke up around 2AM one morning with a sharp pain in my ear. I started panicking as I could hear something moving around. Ten minutes later, after nearly ripping my ear off, I finally felt it and pulled it out. Sure enough it was a big ole' earwig. I had to go to the doctor the next morning and get ear drops. He said my eardrum was bleeding from it cutting me up with its pincers. Earwigs are no more likely to go in your ear than any other bug, but that doesn't mean that they can't. Haha We had a pest control company come out immediately.

[RickyRiceB]

Earwigs love living in their natural habitat of my freaking laundry room

[theCodyReeder]

I’ve been pinched by them before, it hurts more than you’d think.

[zoushaomenohu]

Another function of the pincers is they help them fold their wings! Their wings fold up like origami into tight little elytra on their upper back and they're iridescent. They don't often use them given how much time they spend underground. I've heard people call them "secret angel wings" because of how pretty they are when unfolded!

[Trener_Artem]

When i was a kid, this monstrosity fallen right from the roof into my ear. No kidding. It ran around in it for 3 secs, then ran away with little help from me. I was terrified.

[dr.lexwinter]

They use those pincers to bite their way into your ear, reaching your brain, where they take you over and make you post YouTube videos claiming that they're safe and won't climb into your ears! D: D: D:

[Ranstone]

Have you seen the ear-wigs from Hammerfell?
They have curved pincers! Curved! Pincers!

[Wheres-my-toes-bro]

1:55 "Is it on bro? Is it on, you want some of this, I'll give it ya".