Is it a mini beehive?
Q Has my neighbour got a mini beehive in their conservatory?
Derrick Jones, Stoke
A The golf ball-sized structure isn’t a beehive but the start of a wasp nest. It will have been constructed by a queen wasp which has emerged from hibernation after winter. It’s constructed from fibres gnawed by the queen from wood and mixed with saliva. It will contain a small piece of comb with hexagonalshaped cells where the eggs are laid. From these will hatch infertile females (worker wasps) who take over the task of nest building and gathering food. Get a suitable aerosol insecticide for wasps and spray inside the nest. Retreat behind closed doors and remove it the following day.