Tiny 'fierce' 7 mm insect in Orivesi identified as harmless earwig

A reader in Voitila, Orivesi recently found a tiny, fierce-looking 7 mm insect inside their home, which Tomi Kumpulainen of the Tampere Museum of Natural History identified to Aamulehti as the common earwig, noting the species is harmless and cannot survive long indoors.

Kumpulainen, who answers weekly nature questions for readers, says it is the most common of Finland’s three earwig species. They live in lush forests, meadows and gardens and feed on aphids and other small invertebrates. If other food is scarce, they will sometimes nibble flower petals, berries or fruit.

The rear pincers are used for defence, but the insect is non-venomous. Earwigs are crepuscular and adapted to moist soil, so they quickly deteriorate in dry indoor air.

Readers can send identification queries with photos to [email protected]. Kumpulainen normally handles observations from Pirkanmaa but may reply to others when possible. The sighting follows other recent reader reports in the region, such as a recent report of a large earwig pinching a reader in Kissanmaa.