They are often considered a household pest because of their tendency to invade crevices in homes and consume pantry foods,[3] though they may also act as beneficial species depending on the circumstances.

[4][5] Forficula auricularia is reddish-brown in color with a flattened elongated body and slender beaded antennae.

A detailed analysis of mitochondial DNA from specimens across Europe has established that Forficula auriculata is a complex of several morphologically indistinguishable species.

[11]In North America, European earwigs were found to comprise two sibling species, which are reproductively isolated.

[18] European earwigs are most commonly found in temperate climates, since they were originally discovered in the Palearctic region, and are most active when the daily temperature has minimal fluctuation.

[3][19] Thriving in cool, moist habitats, European earwigs exhibit optimal growth at a mean temperature of 24 °C (75 °F).

[22] Hibernating adults can tolerate cool temperatures, but their survival is reduced in poorly drained soils such as clay.

[24] European earwigs spend the daytime in cool, dark, inaccessible places, such as flowers, fruits, and wood crevices.

[27] European earwigs prefer aphids to plant material such as leaves and fruit slices of apple, cherry and pear.

[25] Instead, as their main form of transportation, earwigs are carried from one place to another on clothing or commercial products like lumber, ornamental shrubs and even newspaper bundles.

Unlike most earwig species, detailed observations of the courtship and mating processes in Forficula auricularia reveal complex sexual behaviors for both the males and females.

Studies have demonstrated the significance of these cerci for use as displays in early courtship and as a tactile stimulus for the female during copulation, as well as feeding and self-defense purposes.

It is interesting to note that the cerci seem to be strictly used for courtship/stimulation and defense against any potential threats; the males do not ever use the forceps aggressively as claspers to hold the female in place during copulation.

Female earwigs typically show maternal care through behaviors such as guarding and tending to their eggs and nymphs.

[19] After the eggs hatch in the spring, the mother continues to care for the nymphs, providing protection, grooming, food, and sometimes even regulating the temperature in the nest.

[34][22] Maternal care can drastically increase the survival and development of young earwigs, contributing to their overall reproductive success.

It is widely accepted that relations between parents and offspring are shaped by an intersection of selfish and altruistic tendencies that ultimately reflect a compromise of each individual’s evolutionary interests.

Common earwig mothers immediately and regularly apply a bouquet of cuticular hydrocarbons to the surface of their eggs.

[32] European common earwigs aggregate in shelters during the day in groups ranging from 50 to 100 individuals per square meter.

This indicates that common earwigs detect and respond to this aggregation pheromone through olfaction rather than through a mechanism such as contact chemoreception.

[34] Scientists believe that common earwigs produce this aggregation pheromone in their tibial glands, cuticular lipids, or fecal matter.

In fact, access to sibling feces significantly enhanced the survival rate of nymphs when food was scarce.

[36] Forficula auricularia has been known to cause significant damage to crops, flowers, and fruit orchards when at high population levels.

Some of the commercially valuable vegetables it feeds upon include cabbage, cauliflower, chard, celery, lettuce, potato, beet, and cucumber among others.

[37] They damage young plum and peach trees in early spring when other food is scarce by devouring blossoms and leaves at night.

[19] In addition to the agricultural problems caused, Forficula auricularia emit a foul odor and have a tendency to aggregate together in or near human dwellings.

[38] The tachinid flies Triarthria setipennis (Fallen) and Ocytata pallipes have been introduced in North America to control Forficula auricularia in the 1920s.

[19] Diazinon, an organophosphate insecticide, has been known to continue killing Forficula auricularia up to 17 days after initial spraying.

The European earwig is a natural predator of a number of other agricultural pests, including the pear psyllid and several aphid species, and in this regard has been used to control outbreaks of such organisms.

[37] Damage to crops by Forficula auricularia is limited as long as there are high population levels of their insect prey.