Earwigs purposely climb into human ear canals to lay eggs.

the verdict

REFUTED

the evidence says no

Recorded sources

0 sources for · 1 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that Earwigs purposely climb into human ear canals to lay eggs?

No. A peer-reviewed case report describes the idea that earwigs crawl into human ears to lay eggs as an old superstition, notes no report has demonstrated an earwig crawling within the ear canal, and states the superstition turned out to be unfounded.

Verdict: REFUTED · 0 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence against · 1

Earwig Crawling in the Ear: Myth or Truth -

Get citation

Earwig Crawling in the Ear: Myth or Truth - PMC Lock. (n.d.). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.14827

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