ID please - Ask Extension
An insect created this dome structure out of leaves. Can you ID it please?
Thanks
Knowledgebase
ID please #869571
Asked May 22, 2024, 8:19 AM EDT
An insect created this dome structure out of leaves. Can you ID it please?
Thanks
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
The dome looks papery and a bit torn. Do you see anything coming or going into the dome?
We think that this was the beginning of a nest made by social wasps. The nests aren't made of leaves but of a papery substance that the insects make from wood and saliva, and are placed up in trees/shrubs/overhangs etc..
It may have been torn apart somehow (wildlife/) before it really got going- look up- there may be more of it up high in an overhanging tree. (They generally won't bother you unless you directly threaten the nest).
Here is our page on social wasps:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/social-wasps-yellowjackets-hornets-and-paper-wasps/
Christine
We think that this was the beginning of a nest made by social wasps. The nests aren't made of leaves but of a papery substance that the insects make from wood and saliva, and are placed up in trees/shrubs/overhangs etc..
It may have been torn apart somehow (wildlife/) before it really got going- look up- there may be more of it up high in an overhanging tree. (They generally won't bother you unless you directly threaten the nest).
Here is our page on social wasps:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/social-wasps-yellowjackets-hornets-and-paper-wasps/
Christine
Thanks.
I don't see anything coming out and I don't see a nest anywhere, but will keep an eye on it.
Thank you.
