# What was this insect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753 "2007-05-04T16:02:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/1 "2007-05-04T16:02:48Z")
I have a painted wooden railing going down my front porch stairs. At the bottom are painted wood 4x4 posts with those metal “foot plate” things on them. Due to kids pulling on them and them being a bit rotten, the posts have become separated from the railings, but inside the posts were dozens of little insects, brownish colored about 1/2 inch long. The weirdest thing about them was their tail, it had a little C-shaped thing sticking out at the back of the insect. I tried to find them on Google but couldn’t find anything like them. I assume they’re the cause of the rotten wood, or maybe they moved in after it became rotten? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/2 "2007-05-04T16:06:31Z")
Could it be an [earwig](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig)? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/3 "2007-05-04T16:11:04Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] Could it be an [earwig](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig)? [/QUOTE] No, similar but what I saw had a very rounded C-Shaped tail. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/4 "2007-05-04T16:11:16Z")
I’d vote for earwig, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/5 "2007-05-04T16:14:29Z")
[here](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hants.gov.uk/museum/biology/kids/images/earwig.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hants.gov.uk/museum/biology/kids/19n.html&h=200&w=360&sz=8&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=AZaw_8OGFQFk7M:&tbnh=67&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dearwig%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG) is a better picture Hope that link works… ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/6 "2007-05-04T16:14:39Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] similar but what I saw had a very rounded C-Shaped tail. [/QUOTE] [Here](http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/earwig.html)’s another photo with a more pronounced “C”. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/7 "2007-05-04T16:15:43Z")
I don’t know, maybe so. This one has a smooth C-shaped tail: [http://www.bcpestmgnt.com/others/Earwig.jpg](http://www.bcpestmgnt.com/others/Earwig.jpg) I think I remember it having a smoother body and the C not being quite so big though, it was more of a half-circle. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/8 "2007-05-04T16:17:11Z")
[http://seven-son.com/Services/images/bugs/EARWIG.gif](http://seven-son.com/Services/images/bugs/EARWIG.gif) There is a huge variety of earwigs. Alot of them here in Minnesota have a more defined tail than the one in Xema’s link, but I think he/she’s right. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-insect/402753/9 "2007-05-04T16:18:12Z")
damn, I’m slow.