The young earwigs resemble their parents, but are lighter in color, lack wings and have tiny pinchers. The females generally die before midsummer, by which time the young have left the nest, so numbers tend to decline by August. The young become adults between late August and early October, when new male and female pairs enter the soil to construct their nests. Rich garden soil with a southern exposure is a favorite place for earwigs to lay their eggs. Moist summers tend to favor higher populations.
Earwigs feed primarily at night.
During the day they hide in dark, moist places such as cracks or crevices, or beneath stones, boards, or debris on the soil surface. They can be found hiding in garden plants, shrubbery, along fences, in woodpiles, at the base of trees, and behind loose boards on buildings. Mulch in flower beds and around trees and shrubs are also great habitats for earwigs. Earwigs are primarily scavengers, and will eat just about anything, including both plants and animals. They can actually be considered beneficial insects since they will eat small insect pests and decaying plant materials, although this is generally not sufficient to redeem them in the eyes of most gardeners.