Close up of clutch of ringlegged earwig Euborellia annulipes eggs, each less than a millimeter across. Earwigs are semi_social insects which lay their eggs in nests and bring up their young. They belong to a group of insects that number more than 2,000 species and live in cracks and crevices found in rocks, amongst debris, and under the bark of trees. Sometimes they find hideaways in and around homes and can become household pests.