Earwig bite Images, Symptoms, Marks, Treatment | Earwig bite in ear

Learn all about earwig bite symptoms, marks treatment and all about the earwig bite in ear. Earwigs are named so because they crawl into ears.

Earwigs are nocturnal insects. Their bodies are long and smooth and they have a pair of pincers (also called cerci) on their abdomen. Earwigs are reddish brown in color and easily get confused with another insect we deal with.

Earwigs prefer to live in dark and moist areas. Usually they are outdoor pests, but occasionally they may enter in the house and reside in crevices or under the dirt of plant pots inside the house. A bite from earwig pincers can produce pain and sometimes small amount of bleeding.

Yes. Earwigs crawl into our ears. What??? It’s true. It isn’t a myth. Well, it is mostly a myth, but it isn’t entirely a myth. These creatures can crawl into your ear, but so can a lot of other bugs.

There are documented cases of spiders, fruit fly babies, bed bugs, crickets, moths, and ticks being found in the ear of some very unlucky individuals. Some of these cases even include eggs being laid; however, it is not known whether or not an earwig has ever laid eggs in anyone’s ear. The best way in which one can prevent an earwig’s bite is by controlling the growth of the bugs.

What is Earwig

Earwigs are medium-sized insects which have flat bodies (like silverfish) and are usually black or brown, some with stripes or reddish coloring on their head and limbs. These bugs can be anywhere from one-fourth of an inch to one and one-fourth inches long. Part of that length is made up of hard pincher-looking forceps that are used as a defense mechanism. They also have wings but rarely fly.

Earwig bite Images

Earwig bite Pain

An earwig bite is not venomous and cannot cause any serious injury to your skin. Its bite does not cause or give rise to any kind of pain, the pain if occurs is just as the pain due to a pinch. Even in extreme cases of large forceps of adult males, the pinch can be painful but there is no venom and the pinch rarely breaks the skin.

Earwig bite Symptoms

The symptoms of earwig bite may not be similar in every person and its severity may depend on a person’s body reaction to the bite. However, there are few common symptoms which may be experienced once the bug has bitten the person.

There may be two distinct red marks on the skin surface. These marks are caused by sharp prongs at the rear of earwig.

• Small amount of blood may ooze out if the bug has bitten too hard.
• Redness and inflammation around the bite are common findings after the bite.
• Itching around the area is common feature after the bite.
• In worst case the bite may lead to blister and may further progress to develop infection if not treated.
• Infection may spread to the surrounding tissue. It may turn red, hot and swollen which in medical term is considered as cellulitis.

Earwig bite Marks

Earwigs do live in the soil typically, so there is the possibility of germs getting into the cut from the forceps. So, if there is a cut or open sore, or if the earwig pinch breaks skin, use a proper antibiotic lotion or cream. There is no telltale “bite mark” unique to an earwig as they do not hurt people. If there are medical concerns, speak to a medical professional.

Earwig bite Treatment

Earwig bite marks can be treated using the following steps:

• Wash the bitten area
• Just as is the case with all other insect bites, there is always the possibility that the infected region could begin to swell and may become very hot after the bite as compared to your other body parts. Therefore, placing an ice pack in this region will be the ideal option.
• Use a towel to dry the region and apply a skin ointment
• There are two antibiotics and anti-infective drugs. When the wound is clean, follow the instructions on the hydrogen peroxide pack before applying it to your wound. Apply Neosporin on the open wound to hasten the healing process.

Earwig bite in ear

Earwigs are some of the misunderstood insects today. Many people fear that the earwigs can bite their ears. There are even those that come across mosquito bites on humans and assume that they were made by an earwig. The misconception arises from the forceps or pincers protruding from their abdominal area. However, even though it may appear like a dangerous insect, it really is not.