Bed bugs are one of the most despised insects in the world, and these tiny bloodsuckers are only on the move when you are sleeping on their territory, especially at night.
But can bed bugs go in your ear? Read it here to find out.
Do Bed Bugs Crawl Into Your Ears?
Bed bugs can occasionally crawl into your ear, but let us get things straight before you panic. When feeding, they find their way inside people’s ears, and sometimes, they live for a short period but don’t freak out because that rarely happens.
Bed bugs are attracted to humans because blood is their food, but that does not mean they want to live in our bodies. Sometimes, they lose their way, crawl up our faces, and end up on our ears and nose. They often leave bite marks but are not intended to live in the human body. So what really causes bed bugs?
Things to Know
Can These Bugs Live In Your Ear?
If you sleep at night, bed bugs can go inside your ear. There is a possibility for them to live for a while, and they may drink blood from your ear canal.
There’s a published journal about a 23-year-old man who went to a doctor complaining about the odd sensations in his right ear [1]. Doctors found a bed bug inside his ear, and it was trapped in the ear canal for two to three days.
How Deep Can They Go?
Bed bugs prefer to feed while the person is sleeping, and in the case that they accidentally enter your ears, they will not go deeper into your eardrums or will not stay long. They will die even if they suck human blood from your ear canal because the temperature and humidity should be considered. But how do you prevent bed bug bites while you’re sleeping?
Some humans fear that since bed bug bites, they may create a hole where they can enter deep into the skin. However, it is not possible because even if the puncture site is visible, it is not big enough for the bed bugs to squeeze in.
How Long Will The Bed Bugs Stay?
Bed bugs can inhabit your ear for months, but they will not stick around in your ear canal for that certain time. Bed bugs live inside the beds, couches, furniture, bed frame, mattress, cracks, and alike.
Bed bugs only approach the human body for blood, which happens while you rest, sit or sleep. After feeding, they have the instinct to hide back in their nests, so as they wander while you sleep, they will always find a way to get out and go back to their nests. But how do you get bed bugs to come out of hiding?
Will They Lay Eggs There?
Relax, we can feel you panicking while reading this, so we will give you the answer: no, they will not lay or hatch eggs in your ears. They will not hatch even one single egg inside your ear canal because infestation happens on couches, mattresses, and beds and not on human bodies. Here’s how you can get rid of bed bugs from your couch.
Bed bugs have nesting instincts, so they will only lay an egg on their nests-their safe haven. After they feed, they will go back to their nests where they prefer to live. Moreso, it will take 6-10 days for a bed bug egg to hatch [2], and in that time, it will be hard for them to survive inside. But how will you find bed bugs during the daytime?
Signs That There Are Bed Bugs In Your Ear
Pain or Discomfort
A foreign object like a bug can irritate your nerves, middle ear, and eardrums. If you have a bug inside your ear, you will feel a little irritation in your ears. Bug bites are not relatively painful but itchy, but since they tend to poke one side of your ears only, you may feel a little pain and ear discomfort.
Fullness
A bed bug in your ear can give you the feeling of fullness in your ears. It is not that it is full because mommy bed bug is laying eggs inside but because our nerves are very sensitive. Even if the insect is very tiny, it gives us a feeling of fullness.
Swelling or Pus
Inflamation or pus happens because of two common symptoms: (1) a bed bug spent a long time inside people’s ears, (2) bites are open wounds that can cause infection; dirt and microorganism can enter easily.
Loss of Hearing
It rarely happens, but hearing loss can be experienced if there’s a bed bug inside your ear. Mild hearing losses occur due to inflammation, or the insect blocks the sound.
Related Posts:
- Can I Get Bed Bugs From Hugging Someone?
- Can Bed Bugs Burrow In My Skin?
- Can Bed Bugs Get In My Eyes?
What To Do
Flush The Bugs Out
Flushing works for either alive and dead bugs but be reminded that you cannot use this method if you have ruptured eardrums or other ear infections. If the bed bug is dead, you can use warm and clean water, but if it is alive, you should use vegetable oil or baby oil that will suffocate the bug.
Fill the dropper or the syringe with oil or water, then pull down the lowest tip to stretch your ear canal. Put a steady stream, then tilt your head to the side for it to drain together with the bed bug. But is it possible to see bed bugs with your naked eye?
Dislodge the Bugs
Dislodging the bug is effective and helpful if the bed bug is alive and not near your eardrum. Tilt your head to the side where the bed bug is located, then shake your head gently to disturb the bed bug.
The bug will find its way out of your ear safely, falling out feely on the ground. In addition, it would help if you could the lower tip of your ear and wiggle it so that the bug knows where to go. Find out if bed bugs can get in your private parts here.
Go To the Doctor
If those two still didn’t work out, stay calm and go to the emergency room and see an ear doctor. The pest may be too close to your eardrum, so it would be challenging to remove it. Ear doctors use professional suctioning, which is similar to flushing. However, they use special devices and solutions to get rid of the bug.
FAQs
Can you wash off bed bugs in the shower?
Yes, you can wash off bed bugs in the shower. They are weak and do not have claws to grip your hair and skin. There is no way bugs and their eggs can stick to your body and resist the water pressure.
Can a bed bug crawl into your ear to your brain?
No, the bed bug cannot crawl into your ear to your brain. Human ears have a rigid structure, and hard bone protects them. Insects can go as far as the eardrum, but they cannot go further after that, which means they cannot go to your brain.
In Summary
Bed bugs can go to your ear because they are attracted to the exhaled carbon dioxide and heat coming out of the humans. However, they probably wandered off and accidentally got inside your ear if that happens.
They see most people as food. They attack people when they are sleeping or resting at night. Bed, mattresses, couch, sofa, room furniture, and other objects in your house are the common hideout of bugs, and they live, mate and lay eggs there.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3533324/
- https://extension.umn.edu/biting-insects/bed-bugs
Alene Schill is a property manager from Columbus, Ohio, who has dealt with numerous pest control agencies. She helps families find the perfect homes and knows very well that bed bugs are an ultimate deal-breaker. She enjoys cycling around Scioto Mile during her spare time.