Can Anyone Identify this bug?

[stihgnobevoli]

is it friendly?

i found this walking along the soil in one of my pots, i have since found 2 more after the initial one i killed. my plants have had some suffering from gnats recently but i wonder if these were helping too?

ok weirdest looking bug i have ever. looks like an ant in the front, it's long and segmented like a caterpillar a little at the end. it has little wings tucked up under its back carapace or whatever you call that. i observed it flexing and drying it's wings out with that thing on the end of it's tail/ass end? i didn't see it fly and the only time the wings were out was when it was drying em, the wings were slightly longer than the body before it tucked them back away. looks like maybe they feed on fungus or something in the soil i dunno.

HALP! PLEZ! google is no help.

 

[Mr.Fastcast]

Looks like a earwig. FOODlants, organic matter, other insects (some are almost exclusively carnivorous, and many are important in controlling soil pests).

Link
http://bugguide.net/favicon.ico

 

[burns1n209]

Looks like pincher bug to me also. And they will eat your leaves and flowers, 1 of them will swallow up carnations or anyother flower in no time flat. Bastards ate up all my freshly planted flowers out side in 3 days.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

Looks like a earwig. FOODlants, organic matter, other insects (some are almost exclusively carnivorous, and many are important in controlling soil pests).

Link
http://bugguide.net/favicon.ico

yeah that's what it is. really gross to watch in action. everything i've read leads me to believe they are harmless to my plants and are just there to eat the dead leaves i use as mulch.

 

[justpassnthru]

I don't think I'd want it to crap in my flowers,
even if it doesn't eat them. jpt

 

[stihgnobevoli]

me either, but i only see them in the soil crawling around the outside of the soil between the dirt and the pot. i'm not worried.

 

[swamp man]

looks like a earwig to me

 

[Mr.Fastcast]

yeah that's what it is. really gross to watch in action. everything i've read leads me to believe they are harmless to my plants and are just there to eat the dead leaves i use as mulch.

I think bugs are kind of cool.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

My bad i gave you rep, i suppose i shoulda said thanks here too.

Thank You. I appreciate ya.