Earwigs are narrow, flattened insects with six legs, long antennae, and a distinctive pair of forceps at the rear of the abdomen. The European earwig, Forficula auricularia, is usually reddish brown and roughly 1/2 to 5/8 inch long as an adult. Males tend to have strongly curved pincers, while females have straighter ones. Young earwigs look like smaller, lighter versions of the adults.
Of all those features, the rear forceps are the one we’d pay attention to first. Plenty of insects are small and brown, but very few combine an elongated body with such obvious paired pincers. That’s what makes an earwig relatively easy to recognize once you get a clear look.
The Pincers Are the Easiest Way to Recognize an Earwig
The structures at the rear of an earwig are called cerci. In earwigs, they’ve developed into conspicuous forceps that give the insect its familiar “pincher bug” appearance. Penn State Extension describes these forceps as the earwig’s most distinguishing feature, and the University of Minnesota Extension likewise highlights the strong cerci at the tip of the abdomen when identifying European earwigs.
The shape varies noticeably between the sexes. Male European earwigs generally have thicker, more strongly curved forceps, while females have slimmer, straighter ones. That difference can be substantial enough that two earwigs of the same species don’t immediately look identical from the rear. Our male vs. female earwig comparison shows what to look for, while what earwig pincers are used for explains why the insects have them in the first place.
What the Rest of an Earwig Looks Like
The European earwig has an elongated body that’s somewhat flattened from top to bottom. Penn State describes adults as dark reddish brown with a reddish head and yellow-brown legs, while Utah State University Extension similarly describes an elongated brown insect with a red-brown head.
Two antennae extend from the head, and the abdomen is clearly segmented. The relatively flat body also helps earwigs squeeze beneath bark, boards, flowerpots, debris, and other tight shelters where they commonly spend daylight hours.
Color is useful, but we wouldn’t identify an earwig from color alone. Brown occurs across an enormous number of insects. Body shape and rear forceps provide a much stronger combination of clues, especially when you’re trying to identify something from a photograph.
How Big Do Earwigs Look in Real Life?
European earwigs are smaller than close-up photographs often make them appear. Utah State University gives an adult length of roughly 12 to 16 millimeters, while Penn State and Colorado State University Extension put a typical adult at about 5/8 inch.
That puts the body comfortably under an inch long. Individual size varies, so measuring a specimen can support an identification but shouldn’t decide it by itself. Our guide to how big earwigs get covers size in more detail, including how immature earwigs compare with adults.
Earwigs Have Wings, but They’re Easy to Miss
An adult earwig can look wingless when viewed from above. In reality, most earwig species have wings, with the hind wings folded beneath short, hardened forewings. UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management notes that most species have wings beneath short, hard wing covers but seldom fly.
This compact arrangement is why you don’t see long wings extending along the body the way you would on many other insects. The European earwig itself rarely flies, so many people encounter them repeatedly without ever seeing their wings open. We’ve illustrated the anatomy more closely in whether earwigs have wings.
Baby Earwigs Look Like Smaller Adults
A young earwig doesn’t look like a grub or caterpillar. Earwigs undergo incomplete metamorphosis, so the immature insects are nymphs that already resemble adults. Utah State University describes European earwig nymphs as gray to light brown and smaller than adults, with four nymphal stages before adulthood.
The youngest stages can therefore be easy to overlook if you’re expecting the dark reddish-brown appearance of a mature earwig. Their lighter coloring and smaller size change as they develop. What baby earwigs look like covers those changes across the immature stages.
What Earwig Eggs Look Like
Earwig eggs bear no resemblance to the insect they’ll eventually become. Utah State University describes European earwig eggs as small, elliptical, pearly white, and about 1 millimeter long. They become larger and darker as they approach hatching.
The location provides another useful clue. Female European earwigs lay their eggs together in protected nests in the soil and remain with them. That makes a suspected cluster found in soil alongside a female much more convincing than unidentified white specks found on an indoor surface. See what earwig eggs look like for a closer identification guide.
What Can Be Mistaken for an Earwig?
A quick glimpse of a dark insect disappearing beneath something can make identification surprisingly unreliable. Rove beetles, cockroaches, silverfish, and some other elongated arthropods may initially enter the conversation simply because of their size, color, or movement.
The rear end usually settles the question. For example, a cockroach has paired cerci, but they don’t form the large forceps characteristic of an earwig. Silverfish have three long tail-like appendages rather than pincers. Rove beetles can have similarly elongated bodies and short wing covers, but they lack the earwig’s forceps.
This is where we think anatomy is much more useful than scrolling through photographs looking for the same shade of brown. If the insect doesn’t fit cleanly, compare its actual features with our guide to bugs that look like earwigs.
The Best Way to Identify an Earwig You Found
If you can safely photograph the insect, get a clear picture from above rather than relying on memory after it disappears. Including a ruler or another familiar object beside a dead or contained specimen can preserve scale, which is especially useful with nymphs.
Then check the features together rather than individually. Look at the overall body shape, antennae, legs, and particularly the rear of the abdomen. Don’t reject an otherwise convincing identification simply because the forceps aren’t dramatically curved. You may be looking at a female or an immature earwig rather than the adult male commonly shown in photographs.
When the key anatomy doesn’t match, keep the identification open. Getting the pest right matters much more than finding an online photograph that looks vaguely similar.
Other Questions About Earwig Appearance
Can earwigs look black?
European earwigs are generally described as brown to dark reddish brown rather than truly black. A dark adult viewed in poor lighting can appear nearly black, so check its physical features before using color to make the identification.
Are there different-looking species of earwigs?
Yes. The European earwig isn’t the only earwig species in North America. UC IPM, for example, also identifies the striped earwig, Labidura riparia, in California, while Colorado State discusses the ring-legged earwig, Euborellia annulipes, in parts of Colorado. Species can differ in size, coloration, markings, and the appearance of their forceps.
Can an earwig be identified from a shed skin?
A shed exoskeleton can preserve recognizable insect features, but identifying a damaged or incomplete molt is less reliable than identifying an intact specimen. If important structures are missing, especially the rear cerci, we’d avoid making a confident identification from the skin alone.
Why did the earwig I found look pale or almost white?
A very pale earwig may have recently molted. Like other insects with an external skeleton, an earwig’s new cuticle is initially softer and paler after a molt before hardening and darkening. Young nymphs are also naturally lighter than mature adults, so pale coloration alone doesn’t mean you’ve found a different insect.
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