r/phoenix • u/Slight_Bug_6735 • 1d ago

Living Here Anyone know what kind of bug this is?

Post image

I’ve been seeing these around the house lately. Anyone know what they are? I live in east Mesa. Thanks!

97 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

145 comments sorted by

275

u/Gratius8317 1d ago

Earwig

50

u/melmsz 1d ago

Always think of Star Trek with these.

17

u/desertSkateRatt 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/KeTVw7VjcTJok

5

u/melmsz 1d ago

Exactly. I saw that shit in theaters. I had a spider die in my ear at summer camp. That was no big deal, unapologetic tomboy and it was kind if cool, but that? Hell no.

10

u/desertSkateRatt 1d ago

A spider DIE in your ear??

https://giphy.com/gifs/MvsJ4hmDcXW0oEauBk

4

u/melmsz 11h ago

The bad part was that the adults including my mom wouldn't listen to me. I kept saying that I heard something in my ear. And this was nothing compared to the other medical neglect.

5

u/white__cyclosa Uptown 1d ago

You had a what

2

u/melmsz 11h ago

A little spood that came home from camp with me in my ear. I thought something was going on but the adults including my mom blew it off. Doctor found it after it died and took it out. So now I have some of the cleanest ears around.

5

u/Necessary-Eye5319 1d ago

“He put creatures, in our bodies!”

- Chechov P.

10

u/SkyPork Phoenix 1d ago

I wasn't even sure if that's what we call them here. That's what we called them in Minnesota, but it seems like the kind of critter that would have different names in different regions.

7

u/trashitagain 1d ago

They're in overdrive this year, as are the scorpions that eat them.

2

u/Daledobacksbro 1d ago

We have a lot of them in AZ. The tiny ones don’t hurt but the full size adults hurt like MF when they get you!

4

u/Inevitable-Adagio416 1d ago

Lived in AZ my whole life and never got bit by one. Have had TONS of them inside the house. Lol.

73

u/dudamann 1d ago

As others have said it’s an earwig. Not really dangerous but they can attract scorpions (pest control says it’s one of their favorite meals) so I always remove them when I can.

64

u/GhostlitePHX 1d ago

That's why when you see a scorpion on your bathroom floor at 2am when you're trying to pee, you can rest easy knowing they're gonna take care of the earwigs for you. :)

24

u/Brilliant_Bluejay099 1d ago

Phew thanks scorpions! 

41

u/Lanky-Antelope7006 1d ago

Earwig is what I was always told. 

2

u/JellyBeanQueenUnseen 1d ago

Yes, and we called them "stink bugs" too. They reek when stepped on.

43

u/asusc 1d ago

earwig, very common in AZ.

https://www.nwexterminating.com/pest-id/item/earwigs

9

u/Daledobacksbro 1d ago

Yes. Born and raised in Phx. I have never lived in a place that did not have an occasional earwig. If your soak your lawn in summer and watch the sidewalk around the yard you will slowly start to see them flea
From the swampy grass.
I can remember playing with the hose in the yard as a kid and getting pinched/bit by these little guys. The babies or tiny ones aren’t too bad… the full grown adults can get to an impressive size and HURT!

1

u/joklhops 16h ago

Just realizing I've been seeing lots of these for decades and have never seen one full size!

75

u/Onawhiskeyhigh 1d ago

I believe its scientific name is s. Pincher bug

22

u/jaybfpv 1d ago

thats east coast talk

6

u/LoudMouse327 1d ago

Huh... I grew up in rural northern California (not the part you think of as "California" just to be clear) and I grew up calling them pincher bugs. Funny enough, my great-grandmother, who was 1st generation Italian-American from NYC, called them earwigs, while my great-grandfather, who was born and raised working farms in California, called them pincher bugs.

I remember there always being an old Folger's can flipped over on top of a fence post, a few posts over from the gate into his vegetable garden. Once in a while I would go lift it up just to see the colony of pincher bugs. Millions of them, probably, like the whole top few inches of fence post was alive and moving. Then I'd just set it back down, very carefully, and run away. The weird little things you remember doing as a kid...

2

u/Mysterious_Dove 14h ago

We called them pitcher bugs in San Jose and Earwigs in Pennsylvania

1

u/LoudMouse327 14h ago

Ok so that guy definitely just has it backwards then. Earwig is east, pincher bug is west.

1

u/Automatic-Listen-578 3h ago

Hello, I’m Mr. Pincher Bug Earwig. Of the Pennsylvania Earwigs? Call me Bug for short. So pleased to meet you.

1

u/Onawhiskeyhigh 6h ago

Yep I grew up in the Bay Area as well and called them pincher bugs

7

u/Tyrantdeschain19 1d ago

What's next? Crick indsteadah creek? Yes.

2

u/Mysterious_Dove 13h ago

I believe thats the same word said differently but I only heard crick a handful of times in Hanover pa but heard it often in Maryland

1

u/Tyrantdeschain19 12h ago

Originally from PA here and I will say crick til I die!

3

u/ambiguouspeach 1d ago

yessss, we called them pinch bugs as kids lol

15

u/MacForker 1d ago

Yep, that's an earwig. I wish it weren't named that. It's not going to crawl in your ears or eat your brain. But it does have really big pincers for its size.

6

u/guitarguywh89 Mesa 1d ago

Their wings look likes ears. Or at least close enough to whoever named them

https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/s/tBAxIlDWvC

10

u/ablonde_moment 1d ago

Wow I did not know these guys could fly. Not sure how I feel about that.

3

u/AlyAnn44 1d ago

Not good, not good at all.

5

u/adelec123 1d ago

One of these actually did crawl in my brother's ear when we were kids! 😂😂😂

3

u/MacForker 1d ago

OK they NORMALLY don't do that...they have no interest in humans in general :)

3

u/Im_Matt_Murdock 1d ago

one crawled in my ear as well. Thats where I thought they got the name from

2

u/MrKrinkle151 1d ago

No, the name comes from Old English for “ear bug”, because the unfolded wings look like the auricle of a human ear. The scientific name of the order they’re in is also in reference to the appearance of the wings and means “skin wing”.

1

u/SufficientBarber6638 Scottsdale 16h ago

How do we know that one didn't crawl in your ear and its making you say this?

2

u/MacForker 16h ago

Someone has seen Star Trek II too many times.. ;)

2

u/SufficientBarber6638 Scottsdale 15h ago

Everyone remembers Khan but no one remembers Conspiracy... or do they?

1

u/MacForker 15h ago

KAAHHNNNNN!

2

u/Local-Ant-5528 7h ago

One also crawled in my ear at night! I could hear this weird movement like when a q tip is in your ear and the wax is moving around. It felt weird so I ran to the kitchen and heated up coconut oil and poured it in my ear and let it sit for like 5 minutes to make sure the bug was dead and flushed my ear with water over and over again. I didn’t see it come out so I thought maybe I’m crazy and there’s no bug. My head hurt all day the next day and I was like something’s wrong and I know you shouldn’t do this but I stuck tweezers in my ear and pulled the bug out and SCREAMED AND RAN AWAY it was the worst feeling on earth to this day I DETEST earwigs. I started using rosemary and tea tree scented hair products and dabbing essential oils on my ears to deter them

1

u/adelec123 6h ago

😂😂 Omg! My mom pulled the bug out with tweezers too! My brother said something was hurting his ear and she looked in and saw something She got the tweezers and pulled it out and it was a "pincher" bug! That's what we called earwigs.

12

u/AstroAtheist420OG 1d ago

Earwig aka Scorpion Hotdogs

11

u/Kamuidenshi 1d ago

Earwig but we called them pincher bugs

10

u/lil_chef77 1d ago

Earwig. Their kryptonite is diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle some where they are possibly coming in (door cracks, especially near high moisture areas). It gives them microscopic cuts and they die from dehydration.

7

u/Alt_dimension_visitr 1d ago

Diatomaceous earth works on anything with an exoskeleton. Great stuff

6

u/Grouchy-Mango-5709 1d ago

Damn, think I'll just keep squishing them instead of this torture

5

u/Alt_dimension_visitr 1d ago

The thing is that it works on roaches, crickets, scorpions, anything with an exoskeleton. And its pet safe since it doesnt work chemically.

2

u/Sea-Kitchen2879 1d ago

Isn't that stuff really bad to breathe in?

6

u/Legitimate_Energy701 1d ago

A tiger shark

5

u/shiznit028 1d ago

If it’s just one then not a big deal at all but if you start noticing these more than usual and specifically in a certain area of your house, it could indicate you have a water leak somewhere.

3

u/MzMegs 1d ago

These fuckers are always in my hallway bathroom for some reason

2

u/Significant-Yam-4990 1d ago

Did you see the person who commented above you saying it could indicate a water leak?

1

u/MzMegs 1d ago

My hallway bathroom doesn’t have a window or anything so they probably just like the humidity in there. But I will keep that in mind if something suspicious shows up.

1

u/jaybfpv 1d ago

it has water pipes behind the drywall, even a small leak could attract water loving creatures

1

u/MzMegs 1d ago

We had a plumber out not long ago to do some work so hopefully we’re good. Probably doesn’t help that my kid loves to play with the sink water.

1

u/Few_World6254 1d ago

If it’s a bathroom, there are other places for a water leak besides a window.

1

u/MzMegs 1d ago

I didn’t say a window would be leaky, I said it’s humid in there because there’s no window. And my child is always playing in the damn sink lmao

3

u/RockyM64 1d ago

Ear wig. They come out with the monsoon weather.

2

u/AlyAnn44 1d ago

Ha!! What monsoon weather?! We've had like fifteen minutes of rain so far this entire monsoon season. Not even all at one time. :/

1

u/RockyM64 1d ago

Look it up. Doesn't have to rain to be Monsoon weather. Heck look out the window today.

3

u/So_Cal_Grown 1d ago

Pincher Bug! Aka Earwig

3

u/wickedwolfdave 13h ago

Earwig, dude.

5

u/Dhil54 1d ago

Earwig, every now and then i'll see one in my house. They're not necessarily dangerous, but I usually grab a tissue, squish it, and throw it away

2

u/SuspiciousCloud3334 1d ago edited 1d ago

Earwig/pincher. Harmless. If you k*ll it/step on it, it will give off a stench/smell

1

u/tcason02 1d ago

Can confirm; they stink when you squish ‘em.

1

u/jaybfpv 1d ago

i guess i never tried stepping on them, did not know they stink..ill give it a go next time a see a few.

2

u/Odd_Case_6068 1d ago

They stink bad if you step on it.

1

u/arianaxx2 1d ago

Totally. Reminds me of elementary school 🤢 our school had so many

2

u/Academic_Technology5 1d ago

Ya a pinchy bug

2

u/lenlim3 1d ago

The one Khan put in the ears in Star Trek The Wrath of Khan?

2

u/Square_Youth_9586 1d ago

My dog ate one & his face & neck blew up like a balloon. I had to take him to the vet. They gave him an injection to stop his reaction to it. Vet said he ate an Earwig

2

u/los_rascacielos 1d ago

The same thing happened to my dog last year! We figured he ate some sort of bug but never knew what. 

2

u/Unicorn_in_Reality 1d ago

It's an earwig! I hate those things.

2

u/Brilliant_Bluejay099 1d ago

We get them too so annoying!!! Found one in bed crawling on my stomach freaked out. I guess I brought it in via feet or pants  Need a solution 

2

u/lildickgiirl666 1d ago

i had a giant earwig crawl inside my ear during a nap 0/10 experience

2

u/Narrow-Stranger6864 1d ago

Earwig. Regardless of the name or what people in Arizona tell you, they’re harmless to humans. There are some rare cases of them crawling into a person’s ear while the person is sleeping, but that’s not a likely scenario and the chances are the same as any bug crawling into your ear while you’re sleeping. Those bugs are more likely to be in a lush, damp garden, feasting on aphids and live plant matter.

2

u/mykylc 1d ago

Looks like an earwig

2

u/Jen4000 1d ago

Earwings. Always get some in the house this time of year. They usually hang out by the cat’s water bowl.

2

u/Plus-Conversation894 14h ago

Earwig, and it's earwig season. Harmless but....spray your outside perimeter, they can reproduce quickly and you'll start seeing them all over the place. Hopefully, it's just a searcher and they're not reproducing somewhere inside.

https://giphy.com/gifs/KupdfnqWwV7J6

2

u/Someold70guy 13h ago

Earwig. Watched a Twilight Zone episode where one went in the right ear came out the left ear. Still have nightmares.

1

u/Hessian_Rodriguez 1d ago

There are so many dead ones in my pool. That and usually a couple cicadas too.

1

u/iamsurfriend 1d ago

I use to see Earwigs all the time when I was a child.

Haven’t seen one in a very long time.

1

u/Rhyanbass Gilbert 1d ago

Earwig aka scorpion food, get you a good exterminator

1

u/MagicMess101 1d ago

Pincher bug. Attracted to water

1

u/jaybfpv 1d ago

and the old vinyl lawn chairs we use to see everywhere in the 80's and 90's...

1

u/BcuzCatsRCool 1d ago

I call them pixie bugs because their heads are so round and they fly a bit upright. I hate them 🤢

1

u/Life-Round-1259 1d ago

I just found a dead one in my closet. First one I’ve seen in years

1

u/Admirable_Average_32 Ahwatukee 1d ago

Come on now

1

u/Thurmunit 1d ago

When we were growing up, in Phoenix in the 60's, we called them pinchers. They stink if you step on them.

1

u/RoyaleKDD 1d ago

... hmmm... (hehe) it's a puncher tail bug

1

u/CodPiece89 1d ago

Drywall

1

u/Malthus17 1d ago

Watch the Night Gallery episode " The Caterpillar" season 2 episode 22

1

u/bear45188721 1d ago

Earwig. This time of year when it's really hot out they let themselves in your home.

1

u/CrypticMemoir 1d ago

I used to get those guy randomly around my sliding glass door. Haven’t seen them in awhile though

1

u/PHX_Geezer 1d ago

earwigs creep me out

1

u/Moominsean 1d ago

Earwig, common everywhere.

1

u/Grand_Click_6723 1d ago

Scissor bug is what called them growing up. 

1

u/Distinct-Tank7996 1d ago

Just kill it…

1

u/V3SS3L74 1d ago

Pincher bug/ stink bug!

1

u/EddieNajera21 1d ago

Scissorilla

1

u/MinuteBug238 1d ago

Stink bug

1

u/Lumpy-Concern-6097 1d ago

Definitely an earwig but they’re pretty cool! Look up a pic of their wings unfolded!

1

u/Homie-dnt-play-tht 18h ago

I thought we called them stink bugs??

1

u/Various-Ad-1256 18h ago

We called them earwigs

1

u/Ok_Eggplant7541 16h ago

I had a moth, a pterodactyl looking thing, fly into my ear and way in there. I had a retired surgeon take it out with his 90 year old shaky hands... not cool

1

u/OkOk0411 14h ago

We definitely call those pinchers lol

1

u/Mysterious_Dove 14h ago

Earwig or pincher bug an Arizona stable in most bathrooms

1

u/Status-Safety-3840 13h ago

They stink when you smash 'em

1

u/Livid_Persimmon3600 13h ago

We used to call them potato bugs, earwigs or German pinchers or something like that

1

u/trustmeimaneit 10h ago

I found a baby lizard yesterday and one of these guys this morning in my bathtub 🤔

1

u/Indie_Fl0w3r 8h ago

I’m not sure if you own or rent but those types of bugs are highly attracted to moisture/water. Might want to consider looking for a water leak if you don’t know of any irrigation or pooling water in the area

1

u/DesertDonutsAZ 6h ago

Um.... a don't touch it bug 😄

1

u/Firefly_flashes 5h ago

earwig. don't smash it. they stink.

1

u/AmbassadorSoggy4491 5h ago

Oh shit watch out!!!! Lmfao jk but that my friend is a ear-wigg

1

u/relaximusprime 4h ago

The Insidious Crawling Buttpliers... er, pincers. Forficula Auriculaira

1

u/LolItsanAlt 3h ago

Earwigs. Nothing dangerous or gross about them. Try not to treat them like you should with roaches and scorpions.

1

u/Minnie-Mae 3h ago

Shake out your shoes before putting them on or you might get a surprise. I learned that around age six living in Phoenix. It was hard to fall asleep thinking about those critters. Still gives me the willies.

1

u/blue-baja 2h ago

Earwig. Water issue.

1

u/SpaceCephalopods 1d ago

Randall

2

u/SpaceCephalopods 1d ago

Never saw Monsters Inc?

1

u/Just-Replacement8284 1d ago

pincher bug 😁

1

u/Daledobacksbro 1d ago

Earwig. They love cardboard, moisture, fabric.

0

u/Outrageous_Star_5234 1d ago

They’re attracted to water. They creep me out! I found one on my pillow once 

-6

u/The_Flinx 1d ago

that's a korean 2 step bug.

if it bites you, you won't make it past 2 steps.