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.

[jkofferdahl]

Ya know, I think you want to get rid of that. Looks like some sort of nasty avian insect is building a home.

[nenella]

I agree, take it off and throw away.

[Junebug]

I just went out and took some more photos. The bottom of the thing is all sealed up now. It kind of looks like an upside down lid w/handle has been attached. Now I'm thinking it could be a cocoon. If it is I guess I could cut the leaf off the plant and stick the leaf and bumpy thing in a breathable container until whoever's inside decides to come out.

I've been researching bees and wasps and haven't found a match or anything even close to what I saw earlier. Maybe the bee/wasp critter didn't have anything to do with building the little bumpy structure. He might have been interrupted by me while he was trying to eat the critter that was building this thing. Hopefully some OB bug enthusiasts will see my thread and share some info.

[harrywitmore]

Originally Posted by Junebug

I just went out and took some more photos. The bottom of the thing is all sealed up now. It kind of looks like an upside down lid w/handle has been attached. Now I'm thinking it could be a cocoon. If it is I guess I could cut the leaf off the plant and stick the leaf and bumpy thing in a breathable container until whoever's inside decides to come out.

I've been researching bees and wasps and haven't found a match or anything even close to what I saw earlier. Maybe the bee/wasp critter didn't have anything to do with building the little bumpy structure. He might have been interrupted by me while he was trying to eat the critter that was building this thing. Hopefully some OB bug enthusiasts will see my thread and share some info.

This is awesome! Did it have a hard shell like a beetle or softer like a wasp or bee. Did it fly?

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by harrywitmore

This is awesome! Did it have a hard shell like a beetle or softer like a wasp or bee. Did it fly?

Sorry, Harry, I replied a few hours ago but I don't see my post.

The actual bug looked like something from the bee/wasp family and it flew out of the unfinished construction when I was taking pictures. He had a black body with red marks on his backside. It was not like a beetle at all. You can get a faint glimpse of his behind in the first two photos at the beginning of my thread. The last photo in the beginning thread shows the empty cocoon after the bug flew out. It looked empty anyway. There may have been something in there that can't be seen in the photo.

I've included even more photos. I'm now convinced this is a cocoon. You can see fibers in the construction. It looks gooey but it's not. It's firm to the touch and dry. I wish I had a patent on the adhesive that was used. It's really stuck on there and it reminds me of fiberglass fibers and resin.

[Swamper]

What a marvelously freaky alien creature. How do you always seem to find these bugs?

[flhiker]

How cool. I belong to a bug identification site. Do you mind if I post your pictures there for ID.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Swamper

What a marvelously freaky alien creature. How do you always seem to find these bugs?

It is a bit freaky...kind of like the pod cocoon on the first Alien movie.

How do I find these things, you ask. I guess I just examine my surroundings more closely than the average person. Since childhood I've always been curious about and fascinated with anything involving nature and the ecosystem.

[Paul]

Fascinating! At first I assumed it might be some kind of gall wasp. (Such wasps as larvae cause the plant to develop a gall which acts as a nursery for a developing wasp.)

HOWEVER, your last pic does NOT fit that hypothesis. It is very clear that the structure is merely attached to the plant. As a guess I would say it is definitely a wasp nest. It looks like something along the lines of a mud-dabber wasp's nest except it is made out of some other material. If it is a relative, then you have nothing to worry about sting-wise unless you sit on or grab one and they are solitary, not colonial creatures. The nest likely has been stuffed with caterpillars or some other insect type (possibly even arachnid) to serve as a food source for the larva within. Oh and the wasp must have been female -- males do not make nests.

Hopefully, Dave will be able to get an ID for you from his bug ID site or, if you don't mind, I can make a link to your post to an identification site (may or may not be the same site Dave is thinking of) to see if we can get your guest a name.