Amazing Earwig Wings in Action!

[@animalogic]

What a fantastic video! I did not know that earwings could fly - and now I may not be able to sleep. Amazing behaviours, fantastic camera work and storytelling as always. Well done!

[@AleM2287]

its a 4 fold wing, amazing... tijeretas rules!!!

[@alveolate]

omg you got tagged by a bigtime nature channel! COLLABBBBBBBBBB

[@dreamarcher4018]

I absolutely loath earwigs like other people hate spiders (which are ok for me). I hate them like scorpions! I didn’t know they had wings ewww!

[@htopherollem649]

get outta my head! lol

[@oBuLLzEyEo1013]

I don't know about you but I am Dufault-nitely sleeping in a mosquito net from now on...

[@gesarts3625]

I'm 40 years old and see earwigs all the time. In my 40 years on this planet,I have never seen one fly nor did I know they flew. The fact that you caught it on camera is remarkable.

[@jamiesonlj]

43, same here. Wild

[@99dragonlover]

And I will forever be traumatized by this for the rest of my life.

[@SunInTheBeeches]

Same for me.

[@byronnorelius]

@@jamiesonlj Same, 43, and I like to think I know a lot about insects.. .... Excellent

[@Expressmusic457]

I've only seen it once when I was in elementary school. I'm 18 now.

[@jisharagu]

I am a structural engineer. I've designed high rises, foundations, houses, supermarkets, etc... Nothing I've ever done comes even close to the complexity of a tiny bug like these... Incredible.

[@the_defaultguy]

wish i was a structural engineer, so i can finally know how's my life crumbling apart and where did it all go wrong, and yeah cool bug

[@jisharagu]

@@the_defaultguy 😂😂😂

[@lemmingscanfly5]

@@the_defaultguy Ayo bro you ready for Great Depression 2: Electric Boogaloo?

[@gg31hh]

Agreed. Im an architect that have study and tried to play with alot of origami fold as a concept for architecture. Damn those fold on the wings - made me wonder how they are able to fold it back neatly before their next flight.

[@silverfox9004]

I'm an entomologist and I've admired their complexity and beauty since I was a toddler. bugs truly are amazing

[@ozan1234561]

Watching insects fly in slow mo kinda gives me the vibe that most of them dont really have any control over their flight and just go wherever their wings take them and explains how spiders are so succesful with their webs

[@chitinskin9860]

Not exactly. The clumsier ones here spend most of their time walking, so they are just not the best at flight, but they do have some control and while in flight they will deliberately move towards whatever they are targeting (for example, a wheel bug will likely fly towards tree tops or brush), they will certainly struggle but they have enough control to not randomly fly in the opposite direction of where they intended (for too long at least). This is also mainly just a problem for the walkers, flight focused insects (such as most lepidoptera, odonata, hymenopterans, diptera, and more) tend to have extensive control over their flight, many are better at it than bats and birds.

[@normanholmes11]

Flies wasp and bees seems very deliberate with their flight patterns down to the millimeter

[@saraseifert6005]

Hahaha…better than my ability to fly…lol.

[@foxo4992]

I'm not sure that getting caught in webs is attributable to lack of control of flight, but, rather, that the web is not visible to the flying insect. Look at the flight of bees, for instance - they have a tremendous degree of control. Imagine being able to alight on flower after flower all day.

[@foxo4992]

@@saraseifert6005I hope I never hear those words coming from the cockpit of a plane.

[@Ohmanwhyyourfeelingshurt]

I see these every day, not once in my 40 years have I seen them fly nor did I know they had wings.

[@Egbert758]

Was hoping there would be someone in the replies to explain

[@Earthstar_Review]

I knew they had wings because of the etymology, but don't know under what circumstances that they use them.

[@silverbutterfly1739]

Same

[@artistanthony1007]

@@Earthstar_Review It's like for a Last Resort.

[@Earthstar_Review]

MY WING CASE IS TWO PIECES/THIS IS MY LAST RESORT

[@TierZoo]

really incredible work!

[@RustyhairedAlp9575]

Can you do a video about violin Beatles?

[@osmia]

Having never seen an earwig fly in real life, I thought that was going to be my favourite, but when that green leaf hopper did its warm up and then proceeded to fly upside down, it totally got my vote!

[@halla3184]

The creases and folds in the earwig's wings plus their broad, rounded shape make them so reminiscent of bird wings!! Gorgeous! Nature never fails to blow my mind

[@Amira_Phoenix]

No, it's more like some drag queen 👑 costume wings

[@cooliipie]

@@Amira_Phoenix Disgusting

[@mudlark4099]

Earwigs are so underappreciated and feared. They don't go into your ears. They do not bite. Their pinch is feeble and harmless. They are actually very endearing little captives, and its magical to see them fly.

[@ludoviajante]

The work you do on this channel is unique. There's nothing like it. I always watch it with my niece. She is a child and loves to learn about the world! Much love from Brazil.

[@TheNewtC]

When I was a kid I managed to see an earwig pull its wings out to clean them. To this day, I don't think I ever saw any other wing structure nearly this beautiful. Both the way they hide such large wings under such small cases and the how they glitter gave me more respect for nature. It taught me that even the most ordinary creatures can have a hidden beauty to them. Thank you so much for capturing this, it's a sight that so few will see in the wild.

[@panoramicprism]

I love when they look like they're so excited to be in the air.

[@rockman3926]

Seeing this magnificent creatures captured in such fine detail is just something I can’t wrap my head around!

[@UkuleleBobbyKemp]

*Literally* Breathtaking!! I actually realised half way thru watching, that I was grinning from ear-to-ear, and not even breathing!! Wonderful footage my friend, and even the music choices are lovely!... Thanks so much! Bobby x 🙏 🦸‍♂🦸‍♂🧚‍♀🧚‍♀🐝🪲🐛🦋

[@e.s.lavall9219]

Thank you for such a beautiful early Christmas present! The way earwigs move always creeps me out even though I know they're harmless, but now whenever I see one I'll just think of how beautifully iridescent and intricate their wings are 💜

[@otherpatrickgill]

You shouldn't be ashamed of your feelings. Earwigs creep you out, that's just how it is. But instead of killing them, you tried to learn more about them, found something to admire in them and you resolved to try to change the way you interact with them and what they mean to you. In short, you felt disgust, revulsion and a form of fear. Instead of letting this fear rule you or decide your actions, you decided to make a change, regardless of what you felt. You did the right thing even when you felt a sort of fear. This makes you a hero in my book

[@e.s.lavall9219]

@@otherpatrickgill Thank you for that beautifully worded encouragement, kind internet stranger!

[@mr.mcpurrz3143]

Absolutely beautiful creature. Thanks momma nature once again.

[@dj-kq4fz]

I had no idea these things could fly. They were always the bane of my existence when I was camping. They'd always infest my tent. Cool vid! Thanks!

[@jessieennans6771]

I'm so glad you could capture the beautiful wings of the earwig

[@jubi400]

OMG! I had no idea that earwigs have wings!!! AMAZING! Thanks so much for this! I love to learn something new every day 🥰🥰

[@cortster12]

Something for future reference that isn't obvious at first, but nearly all insects on earth have wings, some just don't use them as much as others.

[@lostinthelegs]

Absolutely phenomenal! The earwig was so exciting, but then to have my very favorite bug- Arilus cristatus -in the same video?! Couldn't stop smiling, especially with how silly it looked flipping backwards. Thank you so much, this video is a dream come true 😁

[@crowdemon_archives]

I guess some bugs aren't entirely graceful in flight lol (though I think for leafhoppers it might serve as a way to quickly latch onto surfaces)

[@ddexter8723]

Beautiful footage thank you for sharing I'm never been a big fan of earwigs but the earwigs folding wing's are so beautiful I'll never look at them the same again.

[@archnouff7599]

Vous faites un travail remarquable, et les résultats sont époustouflants ! Et les vols des insectes sont somptueux !!! Merci ! 😄🐛

[@-beee-]

Wow! That intricate folding is truly extraordinary. I also loved those tiny little... wings? on the crane fly. Like tiny little lollipops back there!

[@chitinskin9860]

Those are halteres, found on true flies (diptera) and twisted wing parasites (strepsiptera), they're heavily reduced wings that have been repurposed into gyroscopes.

[@Colday]

BEAUTIFUL! Earwigs are so cute, I've always wanted to see one flying!

[@Mikdeelow]

Just when we thought earwigs couldn’t get more cuddly! A property I lived at for 15yrs was infested with them! I used to dampen the ground and leave a piece of plywood to bait them, then flip the plywood over while my chickens watched. The chickens would feast on the pests!

[@astick5249]

Oh thats actually a really cool idea

[@reggietheporpoise]

Please don’t stop making videos. I always learn something fascinating and am captivated by the beauty of nature (especially on the entomological side). I’m a current PhD student and always thinking about how I want to communicate science in the future. Your videos are very special and really tap into the “that’s so cool!” aspect of media that I love so dearly.

[@saltator8565]

I actually just learned earwigs had wings yesterday! I was reading about tachinid flies that parasitize them.

[@theperfectbotsteve4916]

I found out when I tried to eat one when i was 5 and it flew at me instant trauma lol

[@kathigortman4074]

I had no idea they had wings.🌹🍃I looooove treehoppers!💚

[@averycockburn31]

Incredible work as always! I could totally relate to the oak treehoppers. That's how I feel getting out of bed some days.

[@holleysdotcom]

I relate better to the wheel bug. LOL! 🤣

[@SciStone]

this was very pleasant to watch, thank you for your work

[@capfluff]

Increasable creatures, fantastic video and unbelievable usage of physics. I couldn't imagine it's possible to hide full size wings into such a compact "backpack" of earwigs

[@EfraArt_Mix]

Earwigs' wings are amazing 😄

[@Cloud_Strife1997]

i’ve only been able to see an earwig tucking in its gorgeous wings. it’s amazing to finally see one in flight! earwig wings are absolutely stunning!

[@soapyshoes]

I have a deep revulsion to earwigs, but seeing this makes me appreciate them a bit more. You and your team do great work, and I always look forward to your videos. Thank you!!

[@xushibeetle]

They have such thin wings... im surprised they can even fly!! What makes the wings reflect light into a rainbow?

[@pvkyt1004]

I am watching your videos for over a year now. They make me absolutely speechless. They show the true wonders of nature. Fantastic. Greetings from germany.

[@tiaholcom4474]

Thank you for showing a different view on nature to show its beauty. I think earwigs are the creepiest bugs around, I never knew they had wings, and I can't believe how beautiful they are.

[@PokeAndDestroy]

so glad you filmed this! earwigs are one of my favorite bugs ever, honestly one of my favorite animals ever.

[@blackvx]

Amazing! We are so lucky that you share this footage with us. Thank you!

[@Birdsplant]

God bless you for your incredible patience, and passion in making these videos. We are Muslim homeschoolers who are in absolute awe of the biological artistry, and engineering of these curious insects, that you have so skillfully captured. Your videos would be of great benefit to the Biomimicry community as well. What a beautiful and unique journey of discovery you are on. We pray that God continue to open these doors of wonder for you until you leave this earth. We look forward to your next discovery. Peace (Salam)😊

[@williampiwowarek3713]

Amazing footage as always, seeing earwigs in flight with their origami wings is incredible

[@thefrumentarii8909]

Does the shell over the earwig's wings make it a beetle or are they missing some other requirement? Loved the video, the fine mechanics of such small creatures are baffling and its always fun to see that flight isn't always as smooth and graceful as it looks when we're not close up.

[@astick5249]

They aren't actually beetles due to many factors. A big one being that they don't have a larval stage. Earwigs apparently evolved wing cases independently of beetles!

[@mariannaluciliasericata4195]

@@astick5249 Thanks for the explanation. I was wondering the same thing.

[@Awesomeficationify]

@@astick5249 TLDR: Beetles and Earwigs share a wing folding (and likely casing) ancestor. Earwigs belong to a group of animals called Polyneoptera. This group also contains: Stoneflies, Grasshopper/Crickets, Ice Crawlers, Mantises, Cockroaches, Gladiators, Stick Insects, Angel Insects, and Webspinners. (Closest relative being the stonefly.) Polyneopterans share a common ancestor with Eumetabolans which split off into 2 other branches, one of which contains all insects that have larval/pupal stages. Beetles are still way further down the tree from there (Coleoptera). The common ancestor of Polyneopterans and Eumetabolans is called Neoptera (meaning new + wing) and was the progenitor of wings that fold over the abdomen (as opposed to sticking straight out like a dragonfly.)

[@astick5249]

@@Awesomeficationify I don't now about wing casing being an ancestral thing. As this would imply that many groups of insects re-evolved their elytra into full on flight wings. it just seems less likely for only 2 notable groups to have retained elytra, you'd think that we would find loads more insets with wingcases if it was an ancestral trait. Especially considering how helpful they were in allowing beetles to take over the world.

[@Midorisourenjoyer]

fun fact: those little shells are called tegmina, and they evolved from the front pair of wings on the insect! on beetles, those little shells are called elytra. The easiest way to tell the difference between a beetle and an earwig is by looking at their abdomens, on the ends of earwigs they have cerci (two big spikes) which they use to spar for mates.

[@eakherenow]

Thank you so much,all your videos are exquisite.

[@skyt465]

Their wings looks so mesmerizing and beautiful

[@TheJestersDungeon]

I visited from British Columbia, Canada during American thanksgiving to visit family. We visited the NC Museum of Natural Science, and I came across your youtube channel near the lab. This is one of my favourite channels and reminds me why I love science and biology. Please keep up the great work and allowing so many to explore the beauty of life.

[@vomm]

You see insects with completely different eyes thanks to these shots.

[@abbiem3231]

The stunning detail and slow-motion really lets you see all the gorgeous parts of every insect! All the shimmery bits and colours, how everything folds and changes in the light. The moths we're my fave, though the earwigs wings come a close second.

[@thartwig]

I have never in my life seen an earwig fly. See them all the time while moving stuff around in the garden, didn't even know they could fly

[@michaeltebo7735]

That's so amazing! I love how the humble and unassuming earwig hides the wings of an angel. Just beautiful!

[@thefidgetspinnerofdoom]

I have a massive phobia of earwigs, and while it's fantastic seeing them fly in slow motion while displaying some quite complex structures, I am also extremely delighted that I've never seen one fly in real life🤣

[@mussu4859]

My fear amplified now that i know they can also fly

[@Entity_BlackRed777]

Aww, so cute. Especially those big black eyes staring!!

[@goodgoodmike]

This channel continues to put out some of the best educational content on KZbin! Thank you so much! I especially loved the green tree hopper segment. Those helmets are incredible!

[@simplepixel5617]

I had no idea that the earwig had wings. The insect that terrified me the most in my childhood, fascinates me now. Ironic.

[@damsjs6866]

Awesome! Thank you for all your contributions to showcasing and educating us about the diversity of our insect world. You are a absolutely the best science communicator around. Wishing you a productive and safe year ahead.

[@chrisaguilera1564]

They are an engineering marvel. The complexity and simplicity of their wing design is extraordinary.

[@jeremywanner4526]

47 years and had no idea earwigs could fly.

[@RichyArg]

The way they are jointed and the profile they have makes them look so avian, it's surreal.

[@AsioEntomo]

I clicked as soon as I saw the earwigs. They are so misunderstood and so beautiful, my ex and I used to call them "pointy-butt friends". I will never get tired of watching your insect flight slow-mos!

[@rajendralimbu3360]

You sir are doing such a remarkable job that we take it as granted. We are truly thankful for your videos. It's a privilege.

[@jimfowler5930]

Stunning, as usual! Hearing the tree crickets is one thing, but seeing them in flight is special (before buying my Miracle Ear ITE Hearing Aids I did not even know these crickets existed...could not hear them at all). Thank you for your fantastic work knowing that we really love the videos and cannot get enough. Just opening our eyes and then seeing your slow-motion videos is like icing on a cake! Thank You!!!

[@benfranco3801]

Honestly, I am so glad this came up on my TL! Incredible video, I was so captivated by the slow-mo close-ups.

[@travelingtophe]

I just love your bug videos and I think your humorous commentary is spot on. Thanks for sharing.

[@thechickenwizard8172]

Incredible footage as always! I loved the inclusion of the tree cricket, they're one of my favorite groups of orthopterans. I'm hoping to be able to catch and breed some next summer, since I wasn't able to find any this year.

[@tracybowling1156]

Do you know what is amazing to me? How the wings fold back exactly in place. And it happens over and over. Humans can't do that with something like a tent. Or a sleeping bag. There's all kinds of stuff that we can't fold back to how we took it out of it packaging. Nature is so amazing!

[@JH-lz4dh]

Exactly

[@carsongarnett1700]

Not only is the video amazing. The entire channel is amazing. Thank you!

[@billl2903]

Wow, you keep making more and more awesome videos about insect flight patterns; I hope whatever paper or study you’re making these for gets published and the scientific community gives you the accolades you deserve for it, man. Such amazing documentation.

[@Tilier]

I would love to see a video documenting the capture process. How do you wrangle insects? How do you trigger the video? How do you manage the massive data I assume it requires? Do you have four hands?

[@memoiresieb5395]

Such intricate beauty wrapped in such tiny animals. Thank you for sharing this!

[@gabeygaymes8510]

So magical!!!

[@3mileshi]

Sir, fascinating stuff, extremely simply and well displayed. But my favorite aspect of these is your descriptions. They verge on poetic, with very well chosen words. You are very skilled at teaching, and with the English language. You have hooked me

[@KnightlyWizard]

The oak tree hoppers are so adorable when they lift off :]

[@furlizard]

They look so beautiful in slowmo!

[@rockman3926]

You're doing amazing work! Always excited for the new upload! 🥺❤‍🔥

[@IvanIvanov-ug5dc]

Oh, I enjoy seeing your "bugs videos" so much: the quality of your content is amazingly excellent!

[@mariongreen1475]

Saw it already on instagram and was overwhelmed- so wonderful ! Thank you for this video !

[@michasosnowski5918]

Oak treehoper is like mini predator. Insect from another planet! I love it :) Thanks for great material.

[@paularomano5549]

I enjoy origami and in this video I could see that an insect is the greatest master of folding techniques. Fantastic! Congratulations for your impressive work!!

[@risel56]

Good to see you finally got an earwig on camera! Fun fact: earwigs are likely named after the shape of their wings, but because hardly anyone knows they have them, people tend to take the "ear" part of their name more literally.

[@Marshmallow_Trees]

I identify with the Oak Tree Hoppers. That chaotic leap has pretty much been my move all my life.

[@stroads.]

You make such gorgeous videos

[@ritahorvath8207]

Each new video is like christmas and birthday for me . . . . 🎁 🦋 💙

[@YuriShubenin]

Amazing footage, incredible creatures

[@anyascelticcreations]

Earwigs can fly?! My horror is complete. Oh, wait. They're beautiful!

[@jennacotton]

Wow! They all have such beautiful wings! Thank you for documenting and sharing these amazing creatures 💜

[@weizhang6143]

It's REALLY AMAZING!!! I totally know the difficulty in filming such beautiful phenomena very clearly. Hard to imagine how much effort you have made. GOOD JOB

[@LadyPantera57]

The earwig wings remind me of some sort of steampunk flying machine! Thank you for sharing this amazing flight video!

[@Songbearer]

It's so crazy that such an unassuming - and widely conceived to be gross - insect has a pair of such glorious, beautiful and complex wings. Mesmerising to watch.

[@monico1283]

I was just reading an article about what incredible mothers earwigs are (rather unique in the insect world!). It also mentioned European earwigs can fly & described their awesome flight sequence so I immediately had to seek out a video! I just now at 42 years old learned they can fly!! (& are awesome moms!) Thank you so much for this super cool documentation!

[@spencerthompson1049]

I had no idea earwigs had wings, and they are beautiful! thank you learning so much from your videos.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Incredible! Thank you! I saw a lot of earwigs when I was building my new shed, and at the time I didn't even know what they were. Since then, I learned a bit about them, but I never dreamt that they had wings. -Fascinating!

[@fabiovsroque]

I hated insects until I found this channel. This vídeo is pretty spectacular and beautiful. I got hypnotized by the collors, the moviment, the forms...Thank you.

[@Umtree]

Well done my friend. You have been busy and your work is amazing. I’ve learnt something today.

[@michaelwork9462]

Now this was a quality video ..... thank you for taking the time to create such an awesome video .

[@verdantViridity]

There was one house I lived at where I saw earwigs flying around all the time, and it was probably the only house where I saw so many get inside. Not sure if there's any correlation with the rooms being brighter and the rate at which they flew around, but it's impressive that they can fit their wings under such tiny wing cases.

[@zentran2690]

Hmmm Earwigs look a lot cuter close up. I used to absolutely hate them but now I kinda like them. OMG! The Green Treehoppers are so adorable!

[@bobjoeshmoe1354]

This channel's production value is incredible, how you dont have more views/ subscribers is an absolute mystery to me. Keep it up, you're going places.

[@Warwck24]

Thank you fr watching? My gosh thank you ! Truly astounding. They arre so beautiful I think my whole outlook to insects has changed in one instant. Next time I see a moth, how humble should I be

[@kevinwilson2082]

A winter without Adrian’s videos? Say it isn’t so! Have a safe and wonderful Christmas Adrian, Nicolas, Jake and Matt! Kevin

[@jadedisaster]

I love bugs, yet for some reason earwigs have always given me the heebie jeebies! seeing them upclose like this really allowed me to appreciate their beauty though! I never imagined they even had wings!

[@shaktosh524]

The oak treehopper is such a silly lil bug, spinning around before taking better control of the flight.

[@nature1upclose]

This is the most fascinating biology video i have seen in years.

[@fpsdovah2572]

Those green treehoppers are just amazing pilots 😆