# Identify these plant/animal related things **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-these-plant-animal-related-things/621694 "2012-05-12T15:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-these-plant-animal-related-things/621694/1 "2012-05-12T15:13:34Z")
[Picture here.](http://m.flickr.com/photos/24793927@N05/7182206810/) They’re about the size of a pea. I took one off and it was filled with brown stuff, like sawdust. Could have been a bunch of little brown eggs, or it could be a larva that was eating the wood. Those are my two theories at least. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-these-plant-animal-related-things/621694/2 "2012-05-12T16:00:43Z")
Maybe a [gall](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=gall&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1596&bih=1053&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=7oiuT9DqHuaYiALv_OHcAw) of some type. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-these-plant-animal-related-things/621694/3 "2012-05-12T16:52:29Z")
Looks like [terrapin scale insects](http://www.virginiafruit.ento.vt.edu/SoftScale.html). The ant may be tending the insects for the honeydew they produce.