Earwig in ear

Danger or a GreatMisconception?

There is one legend about a certain insect which neverceases to frighten more when we hear of them. Namely people believe thatearwigs are capable of entering our ears, go deep inside our head and, damagingour brain. Countless different stories served as a reassurance of thetruthfulness behind this story. However, researches have proven that there isnothing true behind these stories and that this frightening theory is just aproduct of fantasy. Earwigs have probably got their bad reputation because oftheir names. Nevertheless, the name has nothing to do with ears, since the rootof the word is completely different.

Taking into consideration the fact that earwigs have “ear”in their name in many languages beside English, it is easy to conclude thatthere are no connections with our hearing organ. Rather, the name was probablyderived from a completely different word. Linguistics aside, earwigs are notlikely to enter your ears and eat your brains. They are active during thenight, and they might get into people's households. However, this notorious earinfesting ability of theirs is probably nothing more than a pure scary fiction.

Can They Hurt Me?

The answer is ambiguous. All things considered, if you havethese insects in your home, they might crawl into your ear while you aresleeping, even though this is not a part of their behavioral pattern. Then, anearwig might bite you. However, the bite is not poisonous or significantlydangerous. Moreover, it will just hurt a lot, since their biting mechanism isquite strong. Actually, their bite is all the harm they are likely to cause. Thereis nothing else to worry about regarding earwigs and dangers related to them.

How to Get Rid ofEarwigs?

Logically, before an earwig can enter your ear, it needs toenter your house. Thus, keeping them at bay will keep your ears, and any otherpart of your body, safe. That being said, earwigs prefer moist areas and arelikely to show up around your house before they actually appear inside. So, putsome gravel in front of the house and clean the foundations often. This willprevent them from reaching, or wanting to reach, your home. Next, check yourwindows and door for bug entry spots. If you seem to have any, fix them andmake your house impenetrable in this respect. If you do notice an infestation,you might opt for the boric acid, which, once it gets in contact with theseinsects results in their death. Alternatively, you might use your vacuumcleaner so as to remove a large number of these insects quickly andeffectively.