My girlfriend had what turned out to be an ant trapped in her ear. And it was one of the bitey ants. We tried to drown it with olive oil like the internet says, but that only made it mad. So she insisted we go to the hospital, which was a waste of money as the doctor couldn't get it out. Try not to go to a hospital in the Philippines if you have the option.
The thing eventually died about 24 hours later, but only after it had bitten the shit out of her ear. She had bleeding and temporary hearing loss... All is good now though. Just thought I would share that fun story with you.
for foreign objects in the ear, an ear nose and throat doctor is the go to solution (they have the tools and expertise to not damage the eardrum). and bugs in the ear are a priority appointment, call and tell them they will get you in that day. im surprised the ED didnt refer you to one.
source: i worked at an ENT practice. caller with bug in ear? come on down now. we got bugs in the ear all the time. although children putting the most surprising things in their nose was the most common. kids putting batteries in their nose was the worse (corrosive if they leaked). if we couldnt get it out in the office a surgery was scheduled that day. mainly for anesthesia, no cutting was involved. but the tools had to do pretty far up, its amazing how big the sinuses are.