What should I do if a cockroach crawls into my ear?

Cockroaches are very common insects in our daily life, and they are particularly annoying. Many people have had similar experiences, that is, when you are sleeping, suddenly a cockroach crawls into your ear. At this time, the ear will be itchy and uncomfortable, and most people will feel uncomfortable. At this time, you can spray some insecticide to kill the cockroach, and then go to the hospital in time to let the doctor take the cockroach out of the ear.

Why do bugs get into the ears?

In Beijing, the most common insect that enters the external auditory canal is the cockroach, and the following content mostly uses cockroaches as examples. Cockroaches are insects that like warm, moist spaces with crevices for food. In winter, cockroaches will look for warm places. The bedroom is one of their destinations, and the external auditory canal is a space that cockroaches like very much.

What happens when a bug enters the external ear canal?

Our external auditory canal is about 3 inches deep and ends at the eardrum. The common cockroach in Beijing (German cockroach) is generally about 1 cm in size. When it crawls in the external auditory canal or touches the eardrum, it will produce a noticeable "noise" and pain, which can wake up a sleeping person. The damage caused by insects to the ear canal is only to the skin of the external ear canal or the eardrum, and will not affect the brain.

What should I do if a bug gets into my ear?

The tenacity of many insects is far beyond ordinary people's imagination. The self-help measures for insects entering the ear introduced on the Internet (shining a flashlight in the ear, pouring sesame oil into the ear) may not be effective for cockroaches. Most cockroaches are afraid of light and may burrow deeper when exposed to light. Cockroaches are very resistant to lack of oxygen, and the soaking method can limit their activities, but it is difficult to kill them. If you find a bug in your ear canal, do not use a cotton swab or ear pick to dig it out. If you look back at the first GIF, using a cotton swab will only push the bug deeper.

Before going to the hospital, you can put some bread crumbs at the opening of the ear canal and the cockroach may come out by itself. For cockroaches moving in the ear canal, you can pour clean, non-irritating, warm liquid (usually warm water is sufficient) into the ear to temporarily restrict its movement, which can reduce the panic before going to the hospital. I don’t quite agree with using oily liquids to drip into the ear canal. First, the ear is not easy to dry out afterwards. Second, if there is a perforated eardrum, the oil may irritate the middle ear.

Of course, the safest way is to seek the help of an otolaryngologist. The doctor has professional lighting equipment and ear instruments that can safely remove bugs and other foreign objects from the external auditory canal. The picture below shows me removing cerumen from a child’s ear canal. As long as the child cooperates well, removing bugs from the ear is not scary.

There's a bug in my ear, and it sounds scary. I remember learning an article when I was a child that said if a bug gets into your ear, you only need to shine a flashlight on it and the bug will fly or crawl out by itself. But in real life, this method may not be a panacea, and we still need to analyze countermeasures based on specific circumstances.

1. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

If you can see clearly what kind of insect has crawled into your ear, you can lure it out according to its preferences. For example, if it is an insect that likes light, shining a flashlight next to the ear is a really good method. But if it is an insect that is afraid of light, like a cockroach, the more you shine the light, the more likely it is that it will drill into your ear. Cockroaches like food, so you can lure them out with food.

2. Kill first and then eliminate

The insect is alive and will move. Especially when we try to catch it, it may be frightened and try hard to drill into our ears, which may cause damage to our ears. If you can't lure out the living insects, you can only kill them first and then take them out. As for methods of killing bugs in the ears, warm water, oil and wine are recommended. They can drown the bugs, and then the dead bugs are easier to remove.

3. Can’t take out

When the insect is still alive, do not use your fingers or cotton swabs to dig it out. Not only will it not be removed, but it will also scare it too much and damage the eardrum.

4. Earwax

Generally speaking, earwax can maintain the ear canal at a moderate temperature and prevent dust, insects, etc. from contacting the eardrum. Therefore, it is best not to pick earwax casually.

5. Seek medical attention

If you can't handle it yourself, you should go see a doctor. Doctors are professionals and have seen many cases. They can help you remove the bugs and check whether your ears are injured and need treatment.