I was told by an elderly relative that Earwigs would crawl inside your ear when you were asleep and eat its way into your brain. Living on a farm where there are heaps of these horrible things, I was terrified if I saw one. Even now at 67 I cannot stand them.
A childhood belief about creepy crawlies

you weren't the only one
36 of you believed this
- I used to believe that ear wigs would climb in your ears while you slept and make you go mad— troy
- for the longest time, i believed that earwigs would crawl into my ears and eat my brain— Sarah
- I used to believe that "Earwigs lived in your ears", scared
me to death for years.— Will Chapman - i believed for awhile that earwigs would burrow into your ear canal and eat away at your brain. — Renae
- Earwigs crawl into your ears when your not looking and make nests in your brain.Anon