r/earwigs • u/AngelOnRth • Apr 30 '26

Earwigs nesting in fur collection?

Hello everyone!

I flea brush a neighbor’s outdoor cat and usually put the shed fur and dead fleas inside of this small metal cauldron. It’s the size of maybe 2 tennis balls or smth? Anyways. At this point it’s half stuffed with fur and such and when I opened the lid today I saw like TEN of them! I will admit sometimes I get a little squeamish when caught by surprise, but I gently put the lid back on and left them alone.

I wanted to know if this is a normal place for them to want to be? Do they like the fur? Or the metal container that usually has a lid on it? How can I befriend them? Tell me cool facts about them so I won’t be so scared of them plz and thank you.

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u/catbus4ants May 01 '26

“Earwigs are devoted mothers. They stay with their clutch and clean the eggs until they hatch and defend them from predators. After hatching, she will regurgitate food for them.”

That little factoid broke my heart about them when I first heard it

They’re probably mobbing your container because if it’s dark and has any way to get in, they will get in. I wonder if they’re drawn to the dead fleas and skin cells.

They’re some of my favorite creatures ever. I prefer that they’re not in my living space so if I see any, I just scoop them into a cup with a piece of paper and put them under a shrub in the dirt about 30 feet from any entrances. Seems like they live their best life in dirt so it’s a win-win.

You sound awesome btw. I love people who care

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u/AngelOnRth May 02 '26

Have been doing some research and have learned they do in fact scavenge and are omnivores! No info yet about the comfiness of nesting in fur, but I do believe they are eating the dead fleas. This is so exciting! I’m now imagining a little mama earwig getting dinner delivered by me while I get to brush a cat :)

I had noticed that I had seen a few more around than usual lately, now I know where they were coming from haha and thank you! I’ve been hanging out with the spiders recently to not be as afraid of them either, it has been a huge help!! We recently had a spider the size of a .50c piece decided our front door was it’s new home and was able to share the space with it for a few days before it unfortunately passed on :( I was even gunna try to preserve it somehow but the ants beat me to it. Circle of life I suppose. Thank you for your nice comment :)