- Up to 1 ¼ inches
- Red-brown to black
- Some are wingless and others have a pair of leathery forewings covering a few segments of the abdomen and the membranous hind wings that protrude. Very few can fly
- Forceps-like appendages at the end of the abdomen are strongly curved in the male, but in the female they are smaller and less curved
- Forceps are used primarily for defense and during courtship and cannot harm people
- Prefer dead insects and rotted plant material, but some are predators
- Active at night, attracted to light in large numbers
- During the day they live in shelter beneath stones, boards, sidewalks, or debris.
- Eggs are laid 2-3 inches beneath the surface of the soil
- Young leave the nest after the first molt
- Heavy rain and rapid temperature changes are detrimental to them
- Some feed on living plants and become pests in greenhouses and field crops
- Some tunnel as deeply as 6 feet under ground to escape the cold
- The name Earwig is derived from a superstition that these insects enter the ear of sleeping people and bore into the brain. This belief is misguided
