found what looks like micro bees nest in flower sheath, huh?

[Rivka]

so i found this under a dry sheath of my Psychopsis flower spike (it's between flowering right now)
i first noticed a super fine brown fuzzy weblike stuff, amazingly fine looks like the poly fibers in a stuffed animal. as i was picking that off i found this tucked in the sheath. not attached to anything, and i cant find any bugs for the life of me. plant is doing great, best it has ever been matter of fact.

i just sprayed it down with Sucrashield. but now i would really like to know who's tiny tiny nest this is? the "Huge" thing in the corner of the picture is the edge of a US Quarter. the hole thing is probably 3-4mm across if that.

i broke some of it to see the texture, it seems waxy like a honey bee rather than papery or hard.

[nenella]

That definitely looks like a wasp/bee? nest! I would have done the same. Can2t help with what insect exactly .. they may come back and re build? watch out for them and take a pic if you can someone on this board will very probably be able to identify the concerned insect. Good luck in keeping them at bay

[Rivka]

is there any sort of wasp or bee that makes a nest that is this tiny, the WHOLE thing is just 3-4 mm across!!

[nenella]

Yes there are I have seen some in Africa.... but sorry can't tell you more...am not an expert...but as said above if you manage to get a photo (If they come back and try to rebuild the nest I am sure that out of the 17000 members on this board someone will be able to recognise it and tell you more! Good Luck although I am sure that by having taken the nest out you have sorted the problem.

[Stray59]

How strange! Can you take a razor blade and cut it in half to view the inside formation? I don't see any larva or even eggs, but the honeycomb structure certainly looks as if it is made by an insect; but, I have seen fungus that forms honeycomb-type structures. Plus, the fine threads you found sounds very much like something that a caterpillar would make - Again - How strange!!
This will be interesting for someone to identify - can't wait......
Have a Happy New Year!!
Steve

[MrsSky]

You might want to try a site such as BugGuide.Net. They have an ID request.

[james mickelso]

This is the egg clump of some sort of moth. I've had something similar many times on my orchids. If there is nothing for the caterpillars to eat they die. But look carefully around your plants. They are very small. There is a beautiful yellowish small moth here that lays very very small egg clusters. Never any real dfamage I think because it is so small. Onc types mostly.

[lepetitmartien]

Looks a lot like a wasp nest.

Organic insecticide for free! (they feed the larvas with insects/meat and adults feed on nectar)

[Rivka]

Originally Posted by Stray59

How strange! Can you take a razor blade and cut it in half to view the inside formation? I don't see any larva or even eggs, but the honeycomb structure certainly looks as if it is made by an insect; but, I have seen fungus that forms honeycomb-type structures. Plus, the fine threads you found sounds very much like something that a caterpillar would make - Again - How strange!!
This will be interesting for someone to identify - can't wait......
Have a Happy New Year!!
Steve

i did break it open and ended up looking thru the whole thing, it clearly had "cells" inside but no body home or proof of them being there, including no clear way they would have got out, strange?

Originally Posted by james mickelso

This is the egg clump of some sort of moth. I've had something similar many times on my orchids. If there is nothing for the caterpillars to eat they die. But look carefully around your plants. They are very small. There is a beautiful yellowish small moth here that lays very very small egg clusters. Never any real dfamage I think because it is so small. Onc types mostly.

while this could have happened when my orchids were outside all last summer, they are now in a small 4x10 lean too that is open to my home office via a glass sliding door, i have never seen anything animal in nature in the greenhouse since i set it up about 2 months ago, i'm in there a lot and will keep my eyes out for them

Originally Posted by lepetitmartien

Looks a lot like a wasp nest.

Organic insecticide for free! (they feed the larvas with insects/meat and adults feed on nectar)

i would normally agree is this was more outside, but like i said it very often has a door wide open to my house, so no thank you on the wasps please.