What is this in my shed?

[Emmaline]

I went into my shed the other day for the first time in yonks and saw a little "nest". It was attached to the roof and was like a pingpong ball with an opening at the bottom and a creamy white in colour. It was so precise and beautiful.

Any ideas?

[werdnal]

Sounds like possibly a wasp nest. They are beautifully created, made of a paper like substance. The wasps "rasp" off thin flakes of wood, and stick them together in layers, to build the ball.

They can grow to quite a size if you have a colony, but the smaller ones are sometimes used overwinter. Google some photos to see if that is what you have.

[Dorts]

This is almost certainly the nest of a Queen Wasp. She could soon produce workers and this nest could then rapidly increase in size. So if you want to remove it, now is the time.
Dorts.

[ladyhawk]

Totally agree with Dorts on this one, remove it now or it will end up the size of a football, had some very bad experience with wasps last year when working I found out I could run like Seb Coe haha

[Emmaline]

Gosh! Thanks for the info guys.

Is it "safe" to just scrape it off with a stick?
Might sound like a silly question but want to make sure I don't get attacked!

[the poacher]

i would watch for the queen to depart the nest before trying to remove it,she will come and go throughout the day, probably five to ten Min. intervals,there could be workers within the nest,so be careful not to get stung

[foxypal]

It cost around £35 for a man to inject some poison spray into it!

[witham]

strangely enough we have the same problem, there's a gimormous wasp in and out of our shed, I have been trying to empty it as we are redoing a corner of the garden and want to move it further along. (the shed not the wasp) but keep getting harassed I try to go in when its gone out then buzzzzzzzzz the flaming thing is back, we will have to get rid before it gets any further with its construction as its in an area where we have bbq's and the grandkids play

[Hedera]

It may be a hornet if it's that large!!!

[tom00_uk]

Originally Posted by witham

strangely enough we have the same problem, there's a gimormous wasp in and out of our shed, I have been trying to empty it as we are redoing a corner of the garden and want to move it further along. (the shed not the wasp) but keep getting harassed I try to go in when its gone out then buzzzzzzzzz the flaming thing is back, we will have to get rid before it gets any further with its construction as its in an area where we have bbq's and the grandkids play

put a cloth or masking tap over the door or hole its getting in from and it will be gently forced to relocate with out the need for more invasive and fatal intervention