What's this?

[sime42]

 

 

 

 

 

Found inside two bird nesting boxes this afternoon. It looked looks like some kind of cocoon structure, all glued together with silky stuff. Incredibly strong, it was a real struggle to prise the lids of both boxes open.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

 

[GarethM]

Wasps I think, maybe play back the video!.

[sime42]

10 hours ago, GarethM said:

Wasps I think, maybe play back the video!.

Cheers but it doesn't look like the normal wasp nests that I know. They're made of regurgitated wood, paper like stuff. There was non of that in there. I found the same thing once before, but that was between two scaffold planks stacked on the ground.

 

Different type of wasps maybe?

[manco]

aliens

[GarethM]

Possibly some variety of wood wasp.

 

Logged up a few trees that were riddled with similar looking holes, i was never sure if it was a form of nesting where the parents burrow a hole for each pupae or some form of safety in numbers idea for the winter as I thought most wasps were somewhat solitary?.

[Squaredy]

15 hours ago, sime42 said:

 

 

 

 

 

Found inside two bird nesting boxes this afternoon. It looked looks like some kind of cocoon structure, all glued together with silky stuff. Incredibly strong, it was a real struggle to prise the lids of both boxes open.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

 

As said already, wasps.  There are thousands of species in the UK alone.  I have seen this sort of malarkey in my nest boxes and elsewhere.  Usually in conjunction with rotting wood.

[Anno]

looks like Tree Bumblebee, the usual insect take over species now in the UK,new arrivals to the UK, thought to have begun colonising our shores around 2001, so the 'ban the boats' mob on here might have something to say...

 

[Stere]

 

Colonizing Bugs! 🙂

[sime42]

10 hours ago, Anno said:

looks like Tree Bumblebee, the usual insect take over species now in the UK,new arrivals to the UK, thought to have begun colonising our shores around 2001, so the 'ban the boats' mob on here might have something to say...

 

 

Yep, they look like the most likely contenders. Thanks. I've seen bumblebees looking like that buzzing around the place before. I think they nested in an air vent in one of the house walls one year.

 

Those 'orrible multiculturalists coming over here in their little boats with they're foreign food and there foreign bees. Their even taking over our nest boxes now, it's outrageous! 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️