Anyone know what these are (some sort of cocoons?)?

[ahagwearsapointybonnet]

Just took down our bird box, as the structure it's fixed to needs demolishing so I wanted it down before any birds moved in again. Anyway it seemed very "stuck" to the wood behind it, even though it was just hung on a nail. I had to pull quite hard to get it free, and then found a load of these funny long things on the back - I'm guessing they're some kind of cocoons maybe? I think they have something in, as one got a bit damaged and some gunge came out of it. Now I'm curious what they are - any ideas?

I might put the box up against a wall or something to give them a chance to hatch before I clean it up, I'm hoping they're nothing too grim though (I also found a peacock butterfly overwintering inside the building, so hoping for something more like that!).

Yuk! They don't look like any cocoon I've ever seen!

I found an unusual beetle a few years ago and sent pic to Natural History Museum with query. Took a while but got reply eventually. It was native to Poland, have forgotten its name. Never seen anything like those OP, dont fancy being around when they hatch. Try Google images.

Yeah might have to do some googling later, though not really sure what to search for (there must be millions of types of cocoons!).

True. How about a pic to that bbc thingy, Naturewatch? Probably got a website?

Ooh I've no idea what they are! Please update if you do find out what they are or they hatch, id love to know!

Yeah ... I'm voting kill it with fire on that.

I came on here expecting it to be bee. But, nope I don’t know.
But yes winterwatch is on at the moment!

Ahhhh put it back, give them a chance whatever they are

They look too long to be wasps or bees. My guess is flies of some sort.

No ideas but v interested so placemarking

There's a brilliant FB group called insects and other invertebrates of britain and europe.

If they don't know, no one will which will mean it is Alien

Email the BBC Winterwatch team and you might get your answer on Beeb2 8pm tonight.

www.flickr.com/photos/cladoniophile/6948863568

Looks a bit like these

Definitely look like bee moth cocoons

herefordandworcestermoths.blogspot.com/2015/02/bee-moth-aphomia-sociella.html?m=1

I saw something similar on google images which said a type of moth.

Ooh yes Bee moths. Bless them

I've found those on old wood before, I scraped them off with a scraper but they were stubborn - quite fibrous and wooly. I assumed they were something to do with moths.

Don't scrape them off OP, let them live.

@Ffsnosexallowed, great ID. I've never seen them before either.

Ohgod they are awful. Scrub those fuckers off with iron wool. and then emigrate

Why would you kill them?!!

Give the poor things a chance of life.

I despair.

Sorry, OP you are going to put them somewhere safe. It’s the replies I despair at 🙁

If they are bee moths get rid, we need bees.

Sorry, didn't get a chance to come back sooner! But thanks for the pictures, they do look very much like the bee moth cocoon pictures, and thinking about it, we had tree bumblebees nesting inside the box last year, so that seems the most likely option (I suspect there may be more of them inside the box too then).

Hmm, so the difficult question will be whether to try to keep them alive (though they may already have succumbed to being pulled off the wall and exposed to the cold, of course), or dispose of them in order to protect the bees! (I was rather fond of the bumblebees, and they were never any bother.) Or just leave them where they are (currently propped against a wall to give them some protection, but it won't be as good as before they were disturbed) and let nature decide... I will have to think!

Please let nature decide