Earwigs are a fairly common household pest that can be found almost anywhere in America.  While they may look formidable with their pincers, in reality they pose little to no threat to humans.  They are not known transmit any diseases to humans or other animals and their pincers do minimal damage to people.  

Earwigs prefer dark, damp places to hide in during the day and are generally nocturnal, coming out to feed on a variety of plants and insects at night.  Earwigs are often seen in a homeowner's garden or yard since we tend to grow some of their favorite food sources; lettuce, cauliflower, celery, beets, potatoes, beans, strawberries, grapes, plums, peaches, sunflowers, roses and grass shoots and roots.  They live about 1 year and rarely survive the winter outdoors in cold climates.  

Earwigs are attracted to light, which means leaving porch and patio lights on at night could be drawing them in right to your front door.