Oh dear! They are the solitary bee nests of Leaf-cutter Bees. Have you destroyed them? The adult females only take small bits of leaf to line their single nests for their grubs. Have you killed them? They are still good pollinators for the little damage they do to plants. :-(

I popped them whole into the compost bin. the one that gets removed by the council. I will see if I can find them tomorrow. They are buried under lots of grass and other soft weeds. :o(

I was to busy to come in to post the question mid morning. and chances are no one would have answered until you did.

I will know for the future. but I dont have any evidence of their activity in my garden, so they must have been in my friends garden.

These solitary bees are amazing are'nt they. My son-in-law has masonry bees cells in each of the holes in one of the cavity vent bricks. Hope you find them Seaburngirl.

well my church going neighbours really think I have lost the plot; there i was on hands and knees at 8.30 sorting through a large pile of bin material. I have found 6 undamaged ones and they are now in a planter in the back garden. the things i do for nature.

I knew in my heart they were not vine weevil and leaf cutting ants sprang to mind too.

I find I learn alot from this site too.

Nice one Sbg :-)

Well done SBG, I don't think I would have had the stamina to do what you did. You should "bee" very proud of your handiwork!

oh I felt so guilty when I realised they might be beneficial insects. Gut feeling told me they werent vine weevil but I have seen a few weevils around at dusk lately.
Feel very virtuous now.
I got a real 'buzz' out of it. [groan!]

This page has certainly made me laugh - I can just see you frantically raking through the bin. I wonder who the neighbours were discussing in church today?
I think the grubs can sometimes be in that 'cigar' shaped nest for a year by the way.