An Australian gardener has asked for help identifying a strange “nest” hanging from a eucalyptus tree in his backyard.
‘What is growing on my tree? I have this ugly thing growing on my gum tree. I guess it’s the nest of some kind of insect,” they wrote on Reddit.
‘Can someone tell me what it is and what is likely to happen when it is born?’
Many Australians had ideas about what it could be. Some said it could be a paper wasp nest. Paper wasps make their nests from a paper-like substance made from wood fibers mixed with saliva.
“Leave them alone, they are super friendly and coexist well with humans,” one explained.
‘It looks like it could be a nest of “Ropalidia romandi”, yellow paper wasp. “It is more common in bushland environments, than the normal paper wasps usually seen in the suburbs,” added another.
An Australian gardener has asked for help identifying a strange “nest” hanging from a eucalyptus tree in his backyard.
A third said: “It has to be ants or wasps.” Don’t you see something coming and going? “It looks epic.”
However, others believed it could be a caterpillar nest.
“I think it’s a hairy caterpillar nest; they can build white or darker, almost silky nests, depending on the environment,” one said.
I may be wrong, but the bag looks like silk and not hard like wasp nests. We had lots of these in the trees where we grew up.
Hairy caterpillars, also called processionary caterpillars, have needle-like hairs that cover their bodies. These hairs are sharp and break easily on human skin, and contain an irritating protein that triggers a strong allergic reaction in most people.
‘DO NOT TOUCH’, said one Australian. The caterpillars inside will cause a horrible skin reaction: intense itching and pain. Leave well alone.’
Dozens of commenters shared jokes about what the strange object could be.
‘It’s pretty obvious it’s a Coles BBQ chicken. This one looks like it’s about two weeks away from being ready to be picked, bagged and trucked to Coles,” one wrote.
A second joked: “I don’t want to be around when that sucker is born.” Be like a scene from Alien.’
A third added: “Burn it with fire.”
