#EarwigFunFact 25 — In some orchards, earwigs are pests; in others, they’re valued as natural allies. So scientists tried moving them between orchards … with mixed success so far! 🪳🌍🧪
More info 👉 www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14...
#EarwigFunFact 24 — Earwig mothers have a reputation for being devoted, but they’re also selective: they invest more care in high-quality offspring than in weaker ones. Tough love in the insect world! 🧪 ❤️
More info 👉 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
#EarwigFunFact 22 - European earwigs pack a stinky surprise with their defensive spray! Harmless but smelly, and watch out - it can leave a dark stain on your fingers if you handle too many (>100). This stain will take several days to disappear! 🌈👃🧪
#EarwigFunFact 21 - Altering the gut microbiota is a major issue for most animals. Not for the European earwig! Antibiotics don't faze them. Talk about resilience! 💪🌱🧪
More info 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#EarwigFunFact 20 - European earwigs are very surprising: they shed their skin right during hatching! A fascinating and mysterious process of shedding. 🪄
More info 👉 doi.org/10.4039/tce....
#EarwigFunFact 19 - European earwigs are tough cookies! Their ingestion of heavy metals like cadmium don't stop them from being awesome moms.
More info 👉 linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii...
More info 👉 academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
#EarwigFunFact 18 - Even tiny amounts of pesticides can mess with an earwig's mom duties! Exposure to sublethal quantities of deltamethrin alters its expression of maternal egg care. Let's keep our gardens safe for these little helpers!
More info 👉 linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii...
#EarwigFunFact 16 - European earwigs can help control the invasive stone fruit pest, Drosophila suzukii, by eating larvae. Though not perfect, earwigs may aid in sustainable pest management! 🍑 #Agriculture #PestControl
More info 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
#EarwigFunFact 16 - When resources run low, earwig moms stop caring for their offspring and even start monopolizing resources, putting their own survival first! 🌱⚖️ #InsectParenting #SurvivalStrategies
More info 👉
#EarwigFunFact 15 - Earwig dads don’t provide care, but they can transfer something to their offspring that influences how much care they get from their mom - subtle parental manipulation in action! 🤔🎭 #InsectBehavior #SocialEvolution
More info 👉 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10....
#EarwigFunFact 14 - Earwig moms prevent sibling rivalry by homogenizing their juveniles' chemical signatures. This hides paternity cues, reducing nepotistic cooperation and promoting family harmony. 🧪🤝 #InsectParenting #SocialEvolution
More info 👉 buff.ly/3BXFn3H
#EarwigFunFact 13 - Earwig moms don’t just care for their eggs—they look after their juveniles too! This includes feeding them regurgitated food (like birds do) and encouraging coprophagy. 🍼💩 #InsectParenting #SocialEvolution
More info 👉
#EarwigFunFact 12 - European earwig moms use their own feces to sanitize the nest! 💩 This unique behavior prevents pathogen growth near their juveniles, thanks to the antimicrobial properties of their feces. 🧼🔬 #InsectInnovation #SocialImmunity
More info 👉
#EarwigFunFact 11 - European earwig moms don’t discriminate — they care for almost anything: foreign eggs, eggs of other earwig species, glass pearls, or even small objects. Unconditional maternal love in action! ❤️✨ #InsectCare #SocialEvolution
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/3Vh7OA6
#EarwigFunFact 10 - Moms of the European earwig are amazing! They move their eggs to warmer spots when temperature drops suddenly. This is a smart survival trick for thriving in extra-cold winters! ❄️💪 #InsectBehavior #SocialEvolution
More info 👉
#EarwigFunFact 9/n - Earwig moms are meticulous caretakers! For months, they groom their eggs to remove pathogens and apply protective chemicals to prevent desiccation. True insect supermoms! 💧
More info https://buff.ly/3CSlVFz
Photo: Romain Libbrecht
An earwig male facing the camera
#EarwigFunFact 8/n 🪲: Earwigs host many gut microorganisms. One of them, gregarines, are tiny unicellular allies! Recent studies suggest these microbes may help earwigs survive tough times, like during starvation. Microbial teamwork in action! 🦠
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/4eVGuyd
#EarwigFunFact 7/n 🪲: The European earwig (Forficula auricularia) isn’t just one species—it’s a cryptic species complex! Since 1998, 4 species have been identified, with more likely to be discovered. Hidden diversity in plain sight! 🔍
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/49eint8
An earwig mother taking care of her clutch of eggs
#EarwigFunFact 6/n - Earwig moms are superstars of care! Nearly all species show maternal egg care, with mothers tending their eggs for days—or even months. A rare insect parenting feat!
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/4igETWo
Photo Marshall Hedin
#EarwigFunFact 5/n - Female earwigs prefer males with long forceps, yet not all males have them. Why? It's still a mystery! Studies suggest long forceps don’t come with big costs, so the evolution of short ones remains puzzling. 🤔
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/3COYcG6
A female earwig with straight forceps, and a male earwig with curved forceps
#EarwigFunFact 4/n - Earwigs typically flaunt their curved forceps during mating courtship, performing waving displays to impress females. The formula is simple: longer forceps = bigger waves = stronger attraction! 💕
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/3OCVsy8
#EarwigFunFact 3/n : Talk about extremes! The size of male and female genitalia is very wide in earwigs. The most impressive is probably in Echinosoma horridum, where male genitalia are 85.1% of their body length, while females take it to the next level at 386%!
More info 👉
Ventral abdomen of a male European earwig with a single penis visible
#EarwigFunFact 2/n - In some earwigs, males have 2 penises but only use 1 to mate - usually the right, but not always! In species with just one penis, the left likely degenerated in a common ancestor. Evolution can be funny! 😂
More info 👉 https://buff.ly/4fQUFWB
Male and female of the earwig Labidura riparia. Photo by D. Morichon.
#EarwigFunFact 1/n - Male earwigs in the family Anisolabididae have two functional penises, while females have just one sperm-storage organ. Why two? If one breaks, they’ve got a spare! Nature’s backup plan. 😉
More info👉 https://buff.ly/4fQUFWB
Photo D. Morichon (https://buff.ly/3VgStzm
The european earwig
Surprised (and thrilled!) by the surge in new followers here 😍, I realized many of you might be curious about earwigs. Starting next Monday, I’ll post an #EarwigFunFact weekly! 🪲 Expect insights from my lab, others’ research, and links to scientific papers. Ready to dive in? 🫵
