Help Identifiying Critter

[Junebug]

I was misting my pitcher plant this morning when something caught my eye. On one of the unfurled leaves there was a 1/2" lumpy bumpy thing that at first glance appeared to be some sort of weird snail. I touched it and it was firm like a shell and firmly stuck to the plant. While I was taking photos a bee looking thing came out of the base of the lumpy bumpy thing. The bee photo turned out blurry so I'll describe. It was a small bee/wasp thing and it was about 1/4" long and black with red markings on his back. He was short and roundish and not elongated and segmented like a wasp. I took another photo of the lumpy bumpy thing and it now looks completely emptied of its contents but its still firmly stuck to the leaf.

Perhaps it's the beginning of a nest. If the bee/wasp is building a nest he's chosen the wrong type of plant to be messing with. If he gets curious about those pitchers he'll become plant food.

My other thought is that it is some sort of snail and the bee/wasp entered and fed on it's contents.

I've seen a lot of bugs and bug homes but I really have no idea what this is. The lumpy bumpy thing looks nothing like a typical snail shell and there is no damage to the leaf.

I was unaware the thing was occupied when I took the first two photos. In the last pic. the bug was gone and the thing was empty.

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