Spine-Tailed Earwig vs Black Headed Birch Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spine-Tailed Earwig Black Headed Birch Sawfly
Scientific Name Doru aculeatum Craesus alniastri
Order Dermaptera Hymenoptera
Family Forficulidae Tenthredinidae
Size 10-14 mm 7-9 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spine-Tailed Earwig

A slender earwig found in cornfields and grassy habitats across eastern North America. It shelters in the leaf whorls of corn and other tall grasses.

💡

Did You Know?

Farmers consider this earwig beneficial because it preys heavily on corn earworm eggs and aphids in crop fields.

Black Headed Birch Sawfly

A medium-sized sawfly with a dark head and orange body. Larvae are greenish-blue with black heads and feed communally on birch and alder leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

When a predator approaches, the entire colony of larvae simultaneously rears up and thrashes, making the group appear larger and more threatening.