Halloween is here and with it comes the dark and the macabre. As you decide whether or not you're going to go out dressed up as someone with a hatchet in their head or some ghastly decomposing creature of the night, take a moment to run down through these 7 bugs that were found in people's ears. In our defense, we're not giving you this information to scare or disgust you. Our goal is to make you aware of this potential threat--and give you actionable information to protect against it. (The latter information can be found at the end of this article, so if you're squeamish, you may want to skip right to it.)
- Earwig - Let's start with the most obvious insect you'd expect to find crawling into your ear. It is true. There are historical records to show that earwigs have indeed found their way into people's ears. But, in all fairness, you can find any bug inside your ear. The truth about earwigs is that this bug has no reason to stay in your ear and it will never bore its way into your brain. So, you can rest easier.
- Fruit fly babies - It's true. A woman in Taiwan was diagnosed to have fruit fly larva in her ear canal. When her doctor removed her hearing aid, bloody fluid was found. A closer inspection revealed the fly infestation.
- A cricket - Yup. When a man sought medical assistance in India, complaining about ear discomfort, the doctor found a 3-inch cricket living in his ear. The good news is, this is extremely rare.
- Bed bug - When a 23-year-old man sought medical attention for a blockage in his ear, and a strange "moving" feeling in his ear, doctors found a small black foreign body that was later identified as Cimex lectularius, or a common bed bug. Sadly, bed bugs have more reason to climb inside of your ear. These bugs feed on blood.
- Spider - Most of us are freaked out by spiders, but how would you like to find one in your ear? A woman in China did. She went to the hospital complaining about an itchy ear, and the doctor found a spider creating a web in her ear canal. Doctors believe it had been living in there for 5 days!
- Moth and tick - A man in the States had discomfort in his ear and had a friend extract a 1-inch moth AND a tick from his ear canal! That's enough to make your heart stop. We know why a tick would want to get in there, but the moth is a little baffling.
- Cockroach - An Australian man went to the doctor complaining of excruciating pain in his ear. Doctors were startled to find a cockroach inside there. The BBC reports that the man tried to get the cockroach out himself, with a vacuum cleaner.
As disturbing as it may be, insects can get into your ear canal, especially if they are blood-eating insects like bed bugs, fleas, or ticks (though it is quite rare). This is only one of the many reasons why every home should have year-round home pest control services performed by a pest control company. Sure, we have one of the best medical systems in the world, but that isn't any reason to allow bugs to come into our houses and cause harm or illness. Protect your family by making your home a pest-free environment, contact Action Pest today.