Earwigs are digesters of decaying material, but their presence in a compost pile may well indicate that the material is too wet. Then environment Earwigs like is one that is cool, dark, and moist and that is where they will go.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Earwigs

Harmful, beneficial, or neutral to the compost and vegetable bed?

Helpful in the compost pile, although likely only in the latter stages.

Concentrate on modifying the contents of the pile to make is less appealing to the critters. Add browns, and mix now & then, then repeat.

I know this is a very late reply to the original discussion. Just adding some notes for the benefit of others.

I found earwigs under a pile of brush and leaves near my garden that was destined for compost. They love rotting vegetation. Only problem was the brush pile was close enough to my garden, the earwigs would come out at night and attack my green plants (they are nocturnal). They seemed to prefer my melon leaves most of all but also went for the basil, chard and stevia. They did a little damage to my lettuce and hot peppers. However, they did not bother the tomatoes, cucumbers or bush beans.

I cleaned up that brush pile and stuck it all in the compost bin. Then I designated a new area for staging yard waste, at least 20 yards away from the garden. Hopefully this will be enough distance.

A master gardener friend told me their policy concerning bugs is to "live and let live" unless they get to be just too much. Then they use diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it around. Completely non-toxic.

Hi, I'm replying to Doug: you mentioned separating the compost area from the garden by a large distance. Has this been successful in the last few years? If you see this message, please reply as soon as possible. Thanks.