Earwigs don’t technically produce larvae. They develop through incomplete metamorphosis, which means the young that hatch from eggs are called nymphs and already look like miniature versions of the adults. If you’ve spotted tiny, pale insects with the telltale pincers on their back end, you’re likely looking at earwig nymphs at one of their early growth stages.
Why “Earwig Larvae” Is a Misnomer
Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, like beetles and butterflies, have a true larval stage (think caterpillars or grubs) where the young look nothing like the adult. Earwigs skip that phase entirely. When earwig eggs hatch, the nymphs already have a recognizable earwig body shape, six legs, and developing pincers. The Australian Museum notes that while the term “larvae” is sometimes used loosely, the correct term is nymphs.
You can tell a nymph from an adult by a few features. Nymphs have only small wing buds instead of full wings, their pincers (forceps) are nearly straight and undeveloped rather than curved, and they have a visible line running down the center of the head and body. This line, called an ecdysial line, is where the outer shell splits open during molting. It disappears entirely once the earwig reaches its final adult form.
How Earwig Nymphs Develop
Earwig nymphs molt four to five times before reaching adulthood. With each molt, the body darkens, the pincers curve and harden, and the wing buds grow slightly larger. The earliest nymphs are pale, almost translucent, and only a few millimeters long. By the final instar (the stage between molts), they closely resemble adults in both color and size.
The seasonal timeline is fairly predictable. Females lay eggs in underground burrows during early spring, and those eggs hatch in roughly a week. Nymphs begin emerging from the nest between late May and early June, then mature into adults by late June or early July. Adults remain active through the fall.
Maternal Care Is Unusually Advanced
One of the most remarkable things about earwigs is how much the mother invests in her young. Female earwigs lay a clutch of around 50 eggs in a sealed underground burrow, then spend 40 to 50 days over winter tending them. During this period, she constantly grooms the eggs to scrub off fungal spores and coats them with protective secretions. She also aggressively defends the clutch against predators.
After the nymphs hatch, the mother stays with them for about two more weeks. She moves the nymphs around the burrow, continues grooming them, shields them from threats, and feeds them by regurgitating food or bringing them small pieces of food directly. This level of parental care is rare among non-social insects. Once the family disperses, the nymphs are on their own and begin foraging independently.
What Earwig Nymphs Eat
Young earwigs are omnivores, just like the adults. They feed on decaying plant material, soft seedlings, flower petals, and small soft-bodied insects like aphids. In a garden, this dual role makes them both a minor pest and a beneficial predator depending on the context. A population feeding heavily on aphids is doing you a favor; one chewing through your seedlings is not.
During their first days in the nest, nymphs rely entirely on the food their mother provides. After dispersal, they seek out the same damp, dark microhabitats adults prefer: under mulch, leaf litter, stones, logs, and the edges of garden beds.
Finding Nymphs in Your Home
If you’re seeing small earwig-like insects indoors, they’re most likely nymphs or young adults that wandered in seeking moisture. Earwigs rarely fly and typically enter homes through cracks at ground level, hitching rides in laundry baskets, cardboard boxes, cut flowers, newspapers, or produce from the garden. Hot, dry weather is the biggest driver of indoor migration.
Indoor pesticides won’t stop earwigs from coming in, so prevention is about exclusion and habitat modification:
- Seal entry points. Caulk cracks around doors, windows, pipes, and the foundation, especially at ground level.
- Reduce moisture. Fix leaky spigots, ensure rain gutters direct water away from the foundation, and ventilate crawl spaces.
- Remove harborage. Clear ivy on walls, leaf litter, bark mulch, and wood piles from the immediate perimeter of the building. A 12- to 18-inch gravel border around the foundation creates a dry zone earwigs avoid.
- Switch outdoor lights. Yellow or sodium vapor bulbs attract far fewer earwigs than standard white, neon, or mercury vapor lights.
If earwigs are already inside, simply vacuum or sweep them up. They aren’t dangerous, don’t spread disease, and despite the old myth, they have zero interest in crawling into human ears.
How to Tell Nymphs Apart From Other Insects
Earwig nymphs are sometimes confused with other small household insects. The easiest identifier is the pair of pincers at the tail end. Even in the earliest instars, these are visible, though they’ll be short and nearly straight rather than the dramatic curves seen on adults. The body is elongated and flattened, with a distinct head, and the color ranges from whitish in the youngest nymphs to light brown as they approach their later molts. No other common household insect combines that flat, elongated shape with rear-facing pincers at such a small size.