INTERESTING FACT
Earwigs (Order Dermaptera) are small bugs that got their name from the myth that they climb into people's ears and therein lay their eggs or tunnel into the brain. Our site visitors reported that earwigs do climb into ears, but we believe that it mostly to hide from cold, since earwigs usually tunnel 6 feet under the ground to hide from cold weather.
Earwigs also have two penises! Both are larger than it's body and if it needs the second one just in case one of them snaps off! "It's an interesting phenomenon," says Mike Siva-Jothy of the University of Sheffield, UK. He thinks there must be some evolutionary advantage to the earwig's "unusually long" and fragile organs.
Posted by: Summer
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You should be very scared to go to the woods - but not because earwigs are gonna get ya. There's much much worse.....
Sorry if I gave the impression I doubted your story - I have no way of knowing that the earwig that pinched you was of the common European species. It could have been a larger, more aggressive type - or maybe an ordinary one in a bad mood. In any case the tongue is a delicate organ and it's very easy to draw blood - even for a poor defenceless earwig you happen to be chewing at the time. As small child I remember earwigs pinching but not enough to put me off them for life. I still say earwigs are much maligned - a caring insect with a bad press. I much prefer them to ****roaches....
They may look fearsome (to an 4 year old) but their pincers are not strong enough to be used for defence - I am more than surprised that they drew blood. Frankly they are totally harmless insects with a rather fearsome appearance and reputation.
Now I've read these stories I shall not be sleeping again, ever.
It is interesting how many earwig confessions we have here. Keep them coming boys...and girls :)
The second story was at a really nice restaurant. I took my first sip of a gin & tonic. I felt something in my mouth, but at first thought is was a piece of lime that was stale/hard. Just as I was going to get it off my tongue I was pinched on my tongue - and there it was - a frigin' earwig - drew blood too. UGGGGHHHH!!!
The third story happened to my husband last night - that's why I'm on this site - looking for info. He wakes me up at 5am in a panic saying something is crawling in his ear. I look in his ear in the bathroom lighting - I couldn't see a thing. He is going crazy -I'm wondering if he really is. I can't imagine how freaky that must feel. He gets on his knees on the bathroom floor holding his head - he turned it sideways and an earwig crawled out and fell to the floor. He is wigged out to say the least. It was a female earwig, so now I'm concerned about what a few of you are saying about eggs. This is so creapy - it's going to be so hard getting to sleep at night knowing a friggin' bug can crawl in your ear. It's pissing me off that some of the sights say it's a myth - definately not a myth!!!
And yes they do burrow and deep. They looked in my ear with a scope and saw nothing so it was already past the end of where you can see with the scope. The nurse put lydocaine in there and I felt instant relief. No more burrowing, flipping, biting. They flushied the ear and it came out far enough for her to grab it with the tweezers then.
Do i feel better now? No, not after obsessing there may be eggs, these eggs are small, not something that could get totally cleaned out with an ear flush like a ****roach egg sack would. I read the hatch time is between 2-3 months so i will not feel safe from hatchlings till around halloween 2010 now. I can't sleep now, because at night I hear gurgling noises in that ear and have convinced myself there are eggs.
I am looking into putting insecticide washes in my ear until then.
So ... it didn't burrow into my brain and make me crazy, but I believe the 'old wives tale' should stand, uncontested, as I really believe i am going insane!