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!).

Prop them against the wall and let nature decide......

Look at that bee moth!(google). It's amazing, I had no idea they existed. Thank you for the introduction.

Slightly off topic, but my brother was dead excited that there was a bumble bee around Christmas time in his garden! Now called the Christmas Bee!

It amuses me that people say 'let nature decide' as if humans aren't part of nature...

OP I would encourage their death. Bee moths are a pest regardless of how pretty they are.

It amuses me that people say 'let nature decide' as if humans aren't part of nature...

Nah, human beings don't integrate into nature like other creatures. We take take take, destroy things just for the fun of it and leave a trail of destruction behind. We are not part of nature at all.

OP I would encourage their death

I despair.

ew!

Humans are like aliens to this planet tbh.

I never understand the mentality of killing things like this.

The birds would probably like to eat them.

Well I am not going to squish them or anything, cos I would feel too guilty (and also, yuk!). But I have left the birdhouse outside and I reckon either the cold, birds or even mice will probably finish them off as they're no longer protected by being glued between the birdbox and the building, and I won't be sad if so as it's better for the bumblebees. (I did prop it against a wall, but it's very windy here atm so it's unlikely to stay put for long!).

Hi. Ok so 5 years later..not 28 days!
The cocoons are the same i found attached to a summerhouse in a customers garden in Cardiff.
The tubes were behind the buildings cladding and when I found them all over the place panick set in..wet rot..dry rot!! So I sent the photos to the British Entomology society who positively identified them as: Most likely the silken galleries of the larvae of the Bee Moth Aphomia sociella. They take over small bee nests and there can be a considerable number. The link below shows images the same cocoons.
https://images.app.goo.gl/tj1wTeLCvG77WY7SA