Earwigs!

Scythemantis

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
499
I recently found a large number of incredibly big, black earwigs at a park here in Florida, gathered them up and put them all together in a container with soil, feeding them on fish flakes which they seem to love.

Anyhow, I didn't even realize that the largest female was systematically mutilating and devouring all the rest, and I guess she was just an overprotective mama, because the enclosure is utterly teeming with nymphs! They're so incredibly active and just adorable in the way they run around and investigate everything.

I'm hoping I can raise them all and I'd like to collect even more, but I figure I need a much larger tank to avoid the territorial conflicts. Anyone have any experience with them? Any tips?
 

Travis K

TravIsGinger
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
2,518
Can you take some pics and make sure there is a penny or something in the frame.
 

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
530
Earwigs are one of the only bugs I can't get to breed. Not even the plain ol' European ones. :/
 

loxoscelesfear

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
1,096
Love the earwigs. Florida has some decent size species too. Have had several gravid European earwigs produce a generation of youngins'. Didn't do anything special...just kept in a jar. Wadded up paper towels in the enclosure helps ease territorial issues. The wigs can find their own piece of real estate in the folded or wadded up towel.
 
Last edited:

Alejandro45

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 22, 2009
Messages
114
or if you want to keep it looking natural. you can put mango or avocado leaves in layers. Earwigs are awsome insects. sadly though many have not survived the pesticides in the past few years.
 

khil

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
315
DUDE EARWIGS ARE SO COOL
i found a real nice male and he eats lettuce and drinks water...but i havent been able to find any freakin females, i want to breed them
earwigs are cool
 

1Lord Of Ants1

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Messages
310
Quite a few ring-legged earwigs here. They do seem cool, and I would like to breed them. What kind of set-up do you keep yours in and how do they react to light?
 

Scythemantis

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 27, 2005
Messages
499
I got a notice that someone replied to this, but it's only showing the posts from 2010?

Well, I may as well give an update;

I put the earwigs in a huge glass jar (over a gallon) 2/3 filled with soil and leaf litter and they seemed very happy.

In about a month it had exploded with tiny little babies.

Months after that, however, incredibly minute ants got in while I was away and ate every last one of them.

Since then, however, I've actually had PROBLEMS with earwigs hitch-hiking into my other tanks, breeding, and sometimes eating roach nymphs.

I had to do a massive cleaning of one roach colony to pick out every last wiggy and tranfer them to something else.

So, I can confirm they are incredibly easy to keep - you don't even have to know they're there!
 

ReignofInvertebrates

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
1,066
I got a notice that someone replied to this, but it's only showing the posts from 2010?

Well, I may as well give an update;

I put the earwigs in a huge glass jar (over a gallon) 2/3 filled with soil and leaf litter and they seemed very happy.

In about a month it had exploded with tiny little babies.

Months after that, however, incredibly minute ants got in while I was away and ate every last one of them.

Since then, however, I've actually had PROBLEMS with earwigs hitch-hiking into my other tanks, breeding, and sometimes eating roach nymphs.

I had to do a massive cleaning of one roach colony to pick out every last wiggy and tranfer them to something else.

So, I can confirm they are incredibly easy to keep - you don't even have to know they're there!
Very interesting. Thanks for the update! I guess i didn't realize earwigs had much value in the hobby, but there are some cool species out in the field that i would love to collect this spring!
 
Top