Question
WE keep finding these long, black wingless bugs crawling around on our floor.  We live in western WA state.  They began showing up in autumn.  They are 1+ inch long, totally black, with very long abdomens w/ little pincers on their butts.  They've never bitten us, but they're creepy.  What might they be??

Answer
Sounds like an insect called earwig.
Here is a web link to picture of earwigs.
http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/earwig.html

Adult earwigs are flattened insects, up to 1 and 1/4 inches in length, and light red-brown to black. Some species are wingless but others have a pair of leathery forewings covering a few segments of the abdomen and the membranous hind wings, which have the tips protruding. The forceps-like appendages at the end of the abdomen are strongly curved in the male. The female's appendages are smaller and less curved. The forceps are used primarily for defense and during courtship and cannot harm people. Earwigs are primarily scavengers on dead insects and rotted plant materials.

They are active at night and some species are attracted to lights in large numbers. During the day they usually find shelter beneath stones, boards, sidewalks, or debris. Earwigs are rapid runners and migrate short distances in this manner.

Earwigs are a common nuisance both indoors and out. During the day they hide in almost any dark, confined space, particularly if it also is rather moist. Typical indoor hiding places are under rugs or potted plants, in stacks of newspapers, and similar locations.

Outdoors, they commonly are found under rocks or stacked wood, in eartips of sweet corn, and under various kinds of debris. Peak problems with earwigs to occur from mid-July through mid-October.

Earwigs are active at night and feed on a wide variety of materials. They occasionally cause injury to leafy plants such as lettuce and some flower blossoms. They often are associated with injuries caused by other insects. For example, leaves curled by aphids and holes in fruit are favorite hiding places for earwigs.

Earwigs mainly are a nuisance pest. Their reputation is made worse by the widespread fear that many people have regarding these insects. Several tales exist concerning alleged damage of earwigs: how they like to crawl into ears or how the forceps cause a painful pinch. These stories have little basis in fact, although earwigs have been known to cause a mildly painful bite when sat upon or handled.

Overall, earwigs may actually be considered beneficial -- they feed on many plant pests, such as aphids, mites and insect eggs. Earwigs have been used for biological control of some plant pests. However, there are situations where control of earwigs is desired.

Managing earwigs is best achieved by combining several measures.


Many earwigs can be trapped which may help reduce numbers. Traps can be of various designs but should produce dark hiding areas that the earwigs will seek out for daytime shelters. Rolled corrugated cardboard can be very effective, as can rolled or crumpled newspapers. Furthermore, the addition of some food bait within the shelter can greatly improve the use of a trap by earwigs. Wheat bran and wheat germ are among the baits that have been effective. Such traps should be collected every 2-3 days, bagged and the captured earwigs discarded.


Certain oil-based baits are also effective traps. Vegetable oil or fish oil placed in a small cup sunk into the ground will be visited by earwigs. Keep the level of the oil at least an inch below the surface, forcing the earwigs to crawl deeply into the cup. Many earwigs may be attracted into oil-baited cups and drown.


Modifications of the area around the home also may reduce nuisance migrations into the home. Clear the area next to the home of sheltering debris (including mulches) used by earwigs, particularly near likely points of entry (doorways, window wells). This may be particularly effective if the an area is also relatively dry, denying moist shelters sought by earwigs. All cracks around doors and windows should also be sealed to prevent entry. Insecticides applied as barrier treatments to exterior near points-of-entry may supplement the effectiveness of these measures.

I would lean toward the spraying of a 3-4 foot band of insecticide around the outside of the house and spray the inside with the same thing used for other house hold pests--roaches, ants etc. here is a list of insecticide to use, check with your local nursery/garden type store for one of these.

Ortho Home Defense Max, Ortho Ortho-Klor, K-Gro Home Pest Control, Ortho Max Lawn & Garden Insect Killer1, Sevin, Hi-Yield Turf Ranger, Bonide Termite & Carpenter Ant Dust, Green Light Many Purpose Dust, Spectracide Triazide Soil & Turf Insect Killer, Ortho Bug Stop Home Insect Killer, Ace Soil and Turf Insecticide, Bonide Eight, ferti-lome Indoor/Outdoor Multipurpose, Hi-Yield Indoor/Outdoor Broad Use Insecticide, Ortho Bug-B-Gon Max Garden Insect Dust.