A wild earwig suddenly appeared!

[Brixle]

Was doing routine checking on my dubia roaches and noticed a big (about 0.5 cm, i think? I don’t have a ruler here so im kinda guessing) earwig. I just found the one and flushed it immediately. I have a few questions about this incident:

1. Is there a way for the earwig/s to crawl up on smooth surfaces?
2. If yes on q1, is there a way to prevent this? For example, will petroleum jelly around the bin work?
3. Are they parasitic or dangerous to my colony?
4. In case the earwig was a female and decided to lay eggs in my colony, will i prevent it from taking over my colony or is it just best to clean up the bin fully?
5. Lastly, will they have harmful effects to me and my other pets (reptiles, tarantulas,dogs)?

 

[The Snark]

3. Are they parasitic or dangerous to my colony?

" Some earwig species will also prey on smaller arthropods and insects."

 

[Ponerinecat]

Earwigs actually seem to have trouble with smooth surfaces. However, many of them can fly, so conventional barriers don't do much against stray fliers. Earwigs are incredibly effective predators. Not only will they feed on newborn roaches but they're also known to chew open egg sacks (in this case oothecas) and eat the eggs inside. Earwigs, at least all the ones whose behavior I'm familiar with, require soil in order to lay eggs and care for them. Unless you have damp substrate in your roach bin for some reason, them multiplying shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Brixle]

Earwigs actually seem to have trouble with smooth surfaces. However, many of them can fly, so conventional barriers don't do much against stray fliers. Earwigs are incredibly effective predators. Not only will they feed on newborn roaches but they're also known to chew open egg sacks (in this case oothecas) and eat the eggs inside. Earwigs, at least all the ones whose behavior I'm familiar with, require soil in order to lay eggs and care for them. Unless you have damp substrate in your roach bin for some reason, them multiplying shouldn't be a problem.

Thank you for this explanation! I’m closely monitoring my colony now and there seem to be no other earwigs!