Christmas beetle found inside Whitianga boy’s ear

A young Whitianga boy was terrified after feeling an insect crawl inside his ear and wriggle around inside.

Mother Rozemarije de Ronde told the Herald her 9-year-old son was scared “because there’s a lot of people saying that insects can chew through your brain”.

And, she said, insects crawling into your ear were more common than many would believe, as her son was not the only person she knew who had experienced it.

“It happens often,” she said.

The Christmas beetle found inside a Whitianga boy's ear. Photo / Rozemarije de Ronde

De Ronde said her son was playing outside on the last day of school when he felt something crawl into his ear.

He went to the sickbay and his mother was immediately called to take him to the doctor.

“It was extremely painful,” de Ronde said.

“When we went to the doctor right after it happened ... they couldn’t see any insect legs or wings.

“It actually came across like they didn’t believe my son.”

An ear specialist sucked the bug - a Christmas beetle - out with a small vacuum and pair of tweezers while her son writhed in pain, Rozemarije de Ronde says. Photo / Rozemarije de Ronde

But an insect had crawled into his ear.

De Ronde took her son to another clinic where they discovered a Christmas beetle in his ear canal.

“I could make an appointment with the mobile ear specialist ... to double check. Lucky we did,” she said.

“A Christmas bug had been stuck in his ear.

“It stopped moving – probably died – within half an hour from when it crawled in.

“It didn’t rupture his eardrum luckily, only damaged the ear canal.”

This Christmas beetle damaged de Ronde's son’s ear canal, leaving it inflamed and requiring antibiotics to avoid infection. Photo / Rozemarije de Ronde

An ear specialist eventually sucked the bug, which was about half a centimetre long, out with a small vacuum and pair of tweezers while her son writhed in pain, de Ronde said.

The bug damaged her son’s ear canal, leaving it inflamed and requiring antibiotics to avoid infection.

De Ronde has schooled herself on what to do if it happened again, and has advice on how to get an insect out in similar circumstances.

If it is still alive, she advised going into a completely darkened room and shining a torch at the person’s head, she said. This would attract the insect out.

If it was dead, a lubricant would be a good way to try to get it out, she said. De Ronde said the ear specialist told her saline solution was the best lubricant to use but an oil would do.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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