Szczypawka, also known colloquially as an earwig, bushes, temples or chives, is a common insect in Poland. However, it does not enjoy a good reputation - many people believe that the pincers at the end of the abdomen are used to pinch a person. How is it actually? Does the tweezer bite? How to get rid of her from home?

Szczypawka,that iscommon earwig( Forficula auricularia ), is a common insect species in our country. Most often it can be found in crevices in moist soil, under tree bark, moss, stones or dried leaves. Tongs generally likemoisture and shade , and they definitely avoid full sun. They are most active at night, so they are not easy to spot.

Szczypawka (earwig) - characteristics

Chickens are difficult to confuse with other insects. They have an elongated, slightlyflattened bodyreddish brownish yellow divided into segments, their size ranges from9.5 to 20 mm . Their abdomen ends with the characteristicforceps(professionally called pincers). They have a pair of long antennae on their heads. Although earwigs have wings, they rarely rise into the air, but are rather classified asrunning insects .

The pincers lay their eggs in shallow chambers in the ground. Interestingly, at the beginning the female takes care of them, then the male takes care of them.

Does the chickpea (earwig) bite?

Where did thebad fame of the tweezers come from ? Once in Poland there was a legend that pincers bite people, eagerly entered people's ears , and from there - after bitingeardrum- tobrain . Today, entomologists agree that nothing like this could ever have happened. While the tongs like to hide in a variety of tight gaps, they certainly wouldn't choose the human ear for it, and certainly wouldn't be able to chew through the eardrum.

The pincerscan bitea human only whenis pressed with her hand to the ground , but the bite will not be very painful or dangerous .

So what are the tongs used fortongs , or tongs? They probably have several functions:

  • help with huntingsmall insects,
  • help with folding and unfoldingwings ,
  • help inmating- perhaps they are used to impress females or fight rivals.
  • Ants - are they dangerous to humans?
  • Grasshopper, cricket, grasshopper - how to distinguish them? Can they bite us?

Szczypawka (earwig) - is it a pest?

The answer to this question is not easy at all, because the chives are both useful and harmful in our gardens. Earbuds are insectsomnivores . Gardeners value them primarily for the fact thatthey fight pests of our crops- their delicacy is, among others :

  • different types of aphids,
  • caterpillars (including butterflies from the Bielinkowate family that eat cabbage),
  • fly larvae.

However, the tweezers choose plant food first. As long as they eat up dying plant fragments and rotten fruit, they can be considereduseful . Often, however, the pincers do not stop there, and by the waynibble on young, he althy plants(especially young leaves and flower petals) - when their population in the garden grows too much, they can cause serious damage to it. Then we can talk about the pincers aspests .

Chickpeas prefer zinnia, dahlia, golden and clematis flowers, as well as apple trees, pear trees, peaches, apricots, raspberry bushes and corn.

How to know if there aretoo many pliers in our garden ? The earwigs leave behind the characteristicholes in the leaves- they eat their soft fragments and leave harder nerves.

Chickens (earwigs) in the garden - how to get rid of them?

The best weapon against pincers is to limit the places in the garden where these insects could hide. Therefore, remove all sources of moisture from the garden, such as:

  • lingering stones,
  • piles of wood,
  • tree bark
  • fallen fruits and vegetables that have already started to rot.

What to do to keep earwigs awayhome ?

  1. First of all, seal off anyholesthat these insects could get inside the house.
  2. Setsticky trapsfor insects running around doors and windows.
  3. Do not plant plantsright next to the house - it's better to keep a half-meter distance from the building.
  4. Avoid opening windows when the light is on- the tweezers attract the light of lamps, especially mercury lamps that emit UV rays.

Chickens at home - how to get rid of them?

The reason why the tweezers settle in our homes is the desire towinterin a safe place. They usually choose damp and coolcellarsorpantries , but it also happens that they travel to our kitchens in search of food, clothes, kitchen cabinets or flower pots. Then they can do us a lot of damage.

How to get rid of pincers from home?If their population is small, it may be enough to catch them allwith a vacuum cleaner . It is also recommended to set upsimple trapsin your home, which will allow you to catch unwanted guests and then move them to a safe place away from home. Peel traps can be made from pots or boxes with a small entrance and fill them with e.g.sawdust, oatmealorstraworoil edible.In such traps set on the ground, the tweezers should hide willingly.

If the natural methods for pincers fail, it is necessary to hire a special company thatwill disinfectthe entire apartment, killing all individuals.

Category:

Parasitic diseases