The European earwig is an insect migrant from Europe that was established in the eastern United States around 1907. This insect rapidly spread across the United States and has occurred in Colorado for the last 30 years.
Young earwigs are similar in appearance to adults except that they are smaller in size.
A distinctive feature of the insect is the pair of prominent forceps at the rear of the body. Those of the male insect are more strongly curved than those of the female. This is the only earwig found throughout most of Colorado.