A Woman Lived with a Cockroach in Her Ear for 9 Days—Here’s What Happened

Pieces of a cockroach extracted from her ear.Photo byKatie Holley.

Katie Holley’s ordeal began one night when she was jolted awake by an unsettling sensation in her ear in 2018. Initially, she thought the feeling might be due to something harmless, like a cold object.

But when she tried to investigate with a cotton swab, the discovery of insect legs confirmed that this was something far worse. Her husband quickly identified the intruder as a cockroach, known in her region as a palmetto bug—a horrifying realization.

An Emergency Room Visit Turns Into a Nightmare

With the cockroach still alive inside her ear, Holley and her husband rushed to the emergency room. The ER doctor, after examining her, administered Lidocaine to numb the area and kill the insect.

But as the anesthetic took effect, the cockroach began to react violently, squirming in its death throes deep inside her ear canal. While the doctor managed to remove several pieces of the insect, they were unaware that the ordeal was far from over.

Lingering Discomfort Leads to More Discoveries

Over the next nine days, Holley continued to experience discomfort, feeling as if something was still lodged in her ear. Seeking further medical advice, she visited her local physician, who removed additional pieces of the cockroach’s body.

Still unsure if everything had been extracted, Holley was referred to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist for a more thorough examination.

During her appointment with the ENT, Holley’s fears were confirmed—there were still remnants of the cockroach embedded deep within her ear. The specialist, using a microscope and precision tools, finally removed the remaining parts of the insect, including its head, torso, legs, and antennae. Remarkably, Holley had been carrying these parts in her ear for over a week.

Not as Rare as You Think

As shocking as Holley’s experience might seem, it’s not an isolated incident. Entomologists, like Coby Schal from North Carolina State University, explain that cockroaches and other insects often find their way into human ears while searching for food. Surprisingly, earwax can be a tempting treat for these bugs.

A 2006 study published reported 24 cases of patients with “ear-invading” bugs. Cockroaches accounted for 42% of the insects, followed by flies, beetles, moths, and ticks.

Holley’s terrifying experience reminds us of the strange and often uncomfortable ways we encounter the natural world. Though this may be one of the more extreme examples, cases of bugs in the ears are far more frequent than many of us realize.