Mothra? Pod People? Alien? Senior Citizens? What was this?

February 6, 2012 11:51 AM

Break it to me gently: What hatched from this casing I found on my kitchen curtain? And please let it be one big thing that's probably already dead, and not a million little things I have yet to encounter.

I will admit I have vacuumed, but have not taken my kitchen curtains down for washing and ironing since last year's spring cleaning. And, one spot I never can easily reach is the inside of the tab tops, between the rod and the frame. So today, when I took them down for cleaning, I found this strange little thing attached to the fabric, and had mrgood pick it off and make sure it was empty while I shrieked and hopped around the room. It came off easily, and it's empty. And I have no idea how long it's been that way. I'm okay with most insects - it's just that I like to know what they are and what they're doing in my house. If I need to hunt this thing or any of its spawn down, please let me know so mrgood can do it when he gets home from work tonight while we're at crochet class.

It's kind of chalky/muddy/plastery, and quite hard. It's not particularly delicate, though I'm sure I could squish it until it crumbled using only my Fingers of Average Strength.

We live in Toronto, if that helps.

What was in it?

posted by peagood to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Best answer: That's a mud dauber nest, I'd say.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:56 AM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yep, I'd have said dirt daubers, too.
posted by littlerobothead at 11:57 AM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I found something like this in my house once and 2 days later my entire mudroom was filled thousands of tiny praying mantis babies.

Here is a picture of some of their casings.
posted by brinkzilla at 11:58 AM on February 6, 2012

Best answer: wasp?
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:59 AM on February 6, 2012

Best answer: It looks like a mud dauber wasp egg/larva case to me.
Nothing to worry about, unless you're overly concerned with spiders being poisoned with neurotoxins and used to feed larvae.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 12:00 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: nthing mud dauber.
I remember cracking one open as a kid, to reveal hundreds of teeny paralyzed spiders, in every imaginable color.
posted by HFSH at 12:01 PM on February 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Mud dauber nest (relatively small one). Notice how it was built open at the bottom, not ripped open like an egg casing would have been.
posted by anaelith at 12:20 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yeah, that's a mud dauber nest.

If there isn't anything actively using it, it's almost certainly been long abandoned. Those nests will stick around basically forever if they aren't physically removed.
posted by valkyryn at 1:12 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you all - I am pretty sure it is not a praying mantis, as I have never seen any here. I am now entirely sure it is a dirt/mud dauber/wasp, as we have had plenty of them over the summer, and we have been known to have tiny spiders in that south-facing window because it's double-paned and warped shut. And since we have nothing of the sort flying around these days, I will not freak. I should have a better look around outside in warmer weather, though, in case there are larger nests around, right? And by "I", I mean mrgood. Thank you very much!
posted by peagood at 1:59 PM on February 6, 2012

Mud daubers, though really scary looking, are very docile. Even this was long abandoned, try not to freak out if they're around, as they're (virtually) harmless.
posted by scruss at 2:24 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]