FILE: <ch-45.htm> GENERAL INDEX
[Navigate to
MAIN MENU ]
EUROPEAN EARWIG Forficula auricularia L. --
Dermaptera, Forficulidae (Contacts) ---- CLICK on Photo to enlarge & search for Subject Matter with Ctrl/F. GO TO ALL: Bio-Control Cases The
European earwig is bothersome in and around houses and gardens, but is also a
pest in backyard vegetables and flowering plants (Dahlsten & Hall 1999,
Legner 1958 , Legner & Davis 1962, 1963). The parasitoid Bigonicheta spinipennis (Meigen) was
introduced to British Columbia, Canada from Europe via the United
States. Turnbull & Chant (1961)
reported that this introduction was successful, but Dahlsten & Hall
(1999) considered that complete biological control of European earwig may be
undesirable as it has value as a predator, consuming large numbers of aphids
and scale insects (Clausen 1978).
However, any benefit from this omnivorous earwig (Legner 1958) may
have been confused earlier with predation by other wholly predatory species
of Dermaptera. In the Intermountain
area of the United States is has been a serious pests on a variety of
vegetable crops (Legner 1958)
The tachinid, Ocytata
pallipes (Fallen) [ = Racodoneura antiqua (Meigen)] was also
imported from Europe and released in Oregon, but recoveries were not
reported. In its native area of
southern Europe, <1% parasitism was usually demonstrated by this species. Please refer to the following for greater
details on collection, biologies and biological control efforts (Thompson
1928, Mote 1931, Dimick & Mote 1934, Getzendaner 1936, 1937; Crumb et al
1941, Smith 1941, Spencer 1947, McLeod & Chant 1952, Clausen 1956, McLeod
1954, 1962, Johansen 1957, Turnbull & Chant 1961, Ritcher 1966). REFERENCES: [Additional references may be found at: MELVYL
Library ] Clausen, C. P. 1956. Biological control of insect pests in the continental
United States. U. S. Dept. Agric.
Tech. Bull. 1139. 151 p. Clausen, C.
P. 1978 (ed.). Introduced
parasites and predators of arthropod pests and weeds: A world review. USDA ARS Agriculture Handbook No. 480. 455 p. Crumb, S. D., P.
M. Eide & A. E. Bonn. 1941.
The European earwig. U. S.
Dept. Agric. Tech. Bull. 766. 76 p. Dahlsten, D.
L. & R. W. Hall. 1999.
Biological control of insects in outdoor urban environments. In: Bellows, T. S. & T. W. Fisher (eds.), Handbook of Biological Control:
Principles and Applications.
Academic Press, San Diego, New York.
1046 p Davies, W. M.
1927. Methods for collecting
parasites of earwigs. Bull. Ent. Res.
17: 347-50. Dimick, R. E. & D. C. Mote. 1934.
Progress report regarding the introduction in Oregon of Digonichaeta setipennis Fall., a tachinid
parasite of the European earwig. J. Econ.
Ent. 27: 863-65. Getzendaner,
C. W. 1936. Parasitizing
European earwig with Bigonicheta
setipennis Fall. J. Econ. Ent. 29: 1105-14. Getzendaner,
C. W. 1937. The introduction
and propagation of Bigonichaeta
setipennis Fall., a parasite
of the European earwig. Ent. Soc.
British Columbia Proc. (1936) 33:
8-12. Johannsen, C. A. 1957. History of
biological control of insects in Washington.
Northwest Sci. 31: 57-92. Legner , E. F.
1958. Some effects of aldrin,
chlordane, dieldrin and heptachlor on the European earwig. M.S. Thesis, Utah State University. 56 pp. 13. Legner, E. F. & D. W. Davis. 1962. Tests with
attractants and a simple trap for the European earwig, Forficula auricularia. J. Econ.
Entomol. 55(6):
1006-1007. 15. Legner, E. F. & D. W. Davis. 1963. Some effects of
aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin and heptachlor on the European earwig, Forficula auricularia. J. Econ. Entomol. 56(1):
29-31. McLeod, J.
H. 1954. Statuses of some
introduced parasites and their hosts in British Columbia. Ent. Soc. Brit. Columbia
Proc. (1953) 50: 19-27. McLeod, J.
H. 1962. A review of the
biological control attempts against insects and weeds in Canada. Part I.
Biological control of pests of crops, fruit trees, ornamentals and
weeds in Canada up to 1959.
Commonwealth Inst. Biol. Control, Tech. Commun. 2: 1-33. McLeod, J. H. & D. A. Chant. 1952.
Notes on the parasitism and food habits of the European earwog, Forficula auricularia L. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae). Canad. Ent. 84: 343-45. Mote, D. C.
1931. The introduction of the
tachinid parasites of the European earwig in Oregon. J. Econ. Ent. 24: 948-56. Ritcher, P. O.
1966. Biological control of
insects and weeds in Oregon. Oreg.
Agric. Expt. Sta. Tech. Bull. 90. 39
p. Smith, C. W.
1941. Successful hibernation
of the earwig parasite Bigonichaeta
setipennis Fall., in
Ontario. Ent. Soc. Ontario, 71st Ann.
Rept. 1940: 29-32. Spencer, G. J.
1947. The 1945 status of Digonichaeta setipennis, tachinid parasite
of the European earwig, Forficula
auricularia Linn. in West
Point Gray, B. C. Ent. Soc. British
Columbia Proc. 43: 8-9. Thompson, W. R. 1928. A contribution to
the study of the dipterous parasites of the European earwig (Forficula auricularia L.).
Parasitology 20: 123-58. Turnbull, A. L. & D. A. Chant. 1961.
The practice and theory of biological control in Canada. Canad. J. Zool. 39: 697-753. |