Honors and News

You hear the horror stories all the time -- creepy crawlies that find their way into people's ears. But why are the nooks and crannies in our faces so attractive to bugs, anyway? The insects are probably entering the canal as harborage, for heat, and/or for moisture, Philip Koehler, Ph.D., an entomology professor at the University of Florida, told The Huffington Post in an email.

There's no one-size-fits-all method for removing bugs from people's ears. However, if a bug crawls in your ear, you should not try to get it out yourself, said Dr. Benjamin Crane, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of otolaryngology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. You can put mineral oil or something in the ear canal to kill the bug, to make it more comfortable for you, but you should then go to an emergency room or to an otolaryngologist's office to get it removed, Crane told The Huffington Post.