Its name derives from a folklore myth that the earwig crawls into the ears of sleeping people, where it lays eggs. However, there is no proof to the claim, and the insect is mostly harmless to people.

Orkin confirms the idea that earwigs crawl into people's ears and lay eggs in their brain is just a myth.

This name refers to the extraordinarily durable belief that earwigs crawl into people's ears and -- depending on sources -- burrow into your brain or merely lay eggs and hatch out a new brood of ear ...