Food and Habits: Mainly vegetarian, eating a wide range of living and dead plant material, but also taking some insect food. Sometimes damages flowers. Largely nocturnal, hiding under loose bark and in other crevices by day. Both sexes can fly, but rarely do so. Female looks after her eggs and young and family groups are often disturbed under flower pots and other objects in the garden. Young earwigs always have straight, slender pincers. The white or cream earwigs that are often unearthed in the garden are not different species; simply individuals that have just changed their skins. Adult all year, but usually dormant in winter.

Habitat and Range: Abundant almost everywhere, in the house as well as in the garden. Often in trees, commonly nestling in clusters of apples in late summer. Throughout Europe and the only earwig commonly seen in the British Isles.