Do earwigs live in your ear?

The name for the bugs may come from the old wives' tale that earwigs burrow into the body through the ear.

Earwigs are omnivores that are predisposed to hiding in warm humid crevices, and so one may crawl into a human ear canal. Yet it is not possible for an earwig to crawl inside your brain because the eardrum blocks the passageway.
Most entomologists (bug scientists) claim this is just an old wives tale, and that earwigs absolutely do not enter humans' ears. They point to the insects open wings looking like an ear as a possible explanation for how "ear" got into the name "earwig" or from the fable about earwigs burrowing into the brains of humans through the ear and therein lay their eggs.

Earwigs are omnivores that are predisposed to hiding in warm humid crevices and as such one may crawl into a human ear canal. It would be very rare but has been known to happen.

If you think you have an insect in your ear, it would be a good idea to get medical attention.