the world @ 2X

Moved

Moved from eggs.

… Charley Eiseman, 8 November, 2011 - 7:58pm

Moved

Moved from Antlions, Lacewings and Allies.

… v belov, 12 April, 2009 - 2:58pm

Moved

Moved from Antlions, Lacewings and Allies.

… Phillip Harpootlian, 24 November, 2008 - 1:06pm

Neuroptera eggs of some sort.

I and several others have posted similar pictures. We are now confident that they are some sort of antlion or lacewing egg cluster, but if you could collect yours and see what hatches out, you'd be solving a big mystery!

… Mark Fox, 23 November, 2008 - 3:43pm

...

I second Mark's suggestion to collect them and see what hatches, although it looks like they may have already hatched?

… Dan Leeder, 23 November, 2008 - 4:12pm

it's too late for

this mass, but I'll keep my eyes open for more

… Phillip Harpootlian, 23 November, 2008 - 8:52pm

Do you remember

what this was attached to? If it was on rotten wood, it's possible they're eggs of beaded lacewings (Berothidae), whose larvae are termite predators. If not, like those in the linked images they are almost certainly green lacewing eggs. I have researched all other Neuropteran eggs (except two rare families restricted to the western US) and the only other stalked ones are those of mantidflies, which have much shorter stalks, one per egg, and are in very large masses--as seen in Mark's shot here:

So I think the other images can safely be moved to Chrysopidae, unless we want to allow for the possibility that they are both examples of a fairly uncommon insect laying eggs in an atypical place. If yours were on rotten wood, I wouldn't say Berothidae for certain, because green lacewings are much more common and I've seen them lay eggs in all kinds of random places.

… Charley Eiseman, 9 January, 2009 - 7:33am

Yes,

under loose bark of rotten Oak

… Phillip Harpootlian, 15 December, 2010 - 1:17pm