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This looked like a single cell nest, probably made of clay with a single larvae (or pupae) inside - it looked like a larvae wintering inside. The shape of this nest is hemi-spheric and oblong, about 15mm long and 10 mm wide, light grey in colour. To me, the larvae looks like a typical one for wasps (Vespidae) or mud-daubers (Sphecidae). Beside the larvae (pics N° 1 & 2) there seem to be some other materials inside - difficult to say if these are paralysed preys left over for feed or already digested ones...
Found attached on wooden panels on the backside of one of our feeders left all-year-long on a windowsill. So, this is the backyard of our residence building, at outskirts of a small urban center in Geneva lake valley. The backyard counts a number of deciduous trees and shrubs, most of them spontaneous and local, some planted. The backyard neighbours a meadow (used for producing hay) and a lowland deciduous (mainly oak and beech) forest, and some other agricultural fields.
The nest appeared left for wintering, and it was attached to the backside of one of my feeders (this one being kept against the window). The nest fell away when I moved the feeder to clean it; I tried to protect this larvae by covering it, but it did not work out.
Spotted on Jan 12, 2022
Submitted on Feb 11, 2022
1 Comment
It looks so contented. Nice spotting.