I can't recall the proper name but it is the nest of a rare creature near South-East shore of Lake Victoria in Uganda. It resembles sea crab with body size of a man's hand but resides on land in that single location. Very aggressive if disturbed.with venom which can paralyze central nervous system within 10 minutes of sting which means heart stops beating. You are obviously new to the area since you didn't recognize the nest. You should keep your distance and hire a local to deal with it.

@klem1 Quite the imagination you have klem! I see from your posts you are pretty into outdoors things. On the chance that A S is not knowledgeable about insects & other things that build their nests on / in / around our homes, do you agree it’s a wasp nest? It does look a bit different than ones I’ve found attached to protected places high up on my home. Those darn things just suddenly appear & when you notice them you wonder how the heck you didn’t see it sooner!

I’m saying swallow nest. It does not look like a wasp nest to me.

@vinmarks - thanks. Should there be evidence of bird activity i.e. bird droppings, if it’s a swallow nest?

@KW PNW Z8 I do take pride in my knack for spinning yarns but when it comes to imagination, A S has me beat. It requires quite the imagination to believe that nest can be identified without even a hint of what continent it's on,much less zip code.

Trotting that picture out with expectations of identification is akin to posting a cloven hoofprint without saying where it was found.

Wasp nests built under soffits in Texas look near identical to Honey Bee comb. Hornets ordinarily suspend their unique nests from trees and bushes. Barn Swallows and Chimney Sweeps build nests similar to one in picture but I've never seen any kind of vegetive matter in those. So yea,that nest is most likely regional which means only a small percentage of world population has ever saw one.

What is they say "Ask a silly question and you'll likely get a silly answer".

Ok A S, @klem1 makes a very valid point on asking for help to ID most anything. The ball is back in your court - tell us about the general location of where you live so that posters who have solid info to help you can provide that for you.

Fair enough, my bad on missing pertinent details. I am here in Texas, Houston area. Quite far enough from Uganda. :)

My hunch was it is dirt dauber but i could be wrong. I haven't seen much of bees/flying insects active in that corner of ceiling.

1. I can't tell you exactly what it is but I can tell you with certainty it isn't a common dirt dauber (aka mud dauber) found in Texas. Common mud dauber nest looks like a ball of clay rolled then pushed against surface then left to dry. When and if you come across those you have a decision to make. Inviromentally they are benificial as the arch-enemy of Black Widow. As a pest they have a mild sting but must be provoked. They are destructive by building nest inside and on mechanicals where it causes malfunction. My grandsons rv airconditioner failed to work on a trip this summer. When he took it in for repair the tech removed a dauber nest from fan blade and charged $120 plus tax.

3. If it were on my property I would immediately destroy nest and everything inside. I would then keep wasp and hornet spray handy in case whatever it is starts to construct a new nest. If you want to do your part in protecting the environment, carefully remove nest intact and seal inside a clear container then contact Texas A&M with that picture.

To explain my destructive approach to a creature I have yet to identify. If the creature turns out to be beneficial it isn't like you eradicated the entire population. On the other hand if it came in with a hurricane from South of the equator it might be invasive like Imported Fire Ants. Had the first people to encounter those ants been proactive it could have prevented a lot of problems.

A S - @klem1 suggestion about contacting Texas A & M is what I’d do! There might be a next time that you encounter this issue. Not sure how you remove nest & keep it intact - suit up with protective gear for sure - just in case!

I am going by it's location and the way it looks. I'm in NC. I have dealt with plenty of wasp nests and none have ever looked like that. It is not a mud dauber. We have those here and they do not look anything like that. We had a swallow trying to build a nest in the corner of our porch. They start with red clay that we have here. google swallow nest and see what they look like.

Maybe it’s a swallow pair who need some HOUZZ advice on design.
But your photos, though fuzzy, appears to show little balls of mud, which would track for swallows.

My god, all of these comments make me glad that I live in NYC and spend a good deal of time indoors or in a park. I had to look up mud dauber. And black widows, yikes. I'd be calling my bravest friend over to destroy the thing and then keep a can or raid on hand. Not very environmentally friendly, I know.

It's not any type of insect nest. It's the beginnings of a swallow nest made from spit and dirt/mud. There are 8 swallow species native to Texas and especially common to the coastal area in Texas during the fall is the barn swallow. I believe it's what you have but before you throw away the nest think about making bird nest soup from it.

I would set up a Wyze camera on the nest and capture the daily construction of the next for a time laps video and let it stay if it's a swallow nest. They will eat up to 800 insects a day INCLUDING spiders and even black widows.

@Kendrah I'm curious as to why you don't enjoy strolling your neighborhood visiting friends and admiring their latest landscape addition apposed to a park.

How big is this "nest"? Are there any openings? I'm having a hard time seeing details, does it have leaves, or something stuck all over the outside? I agree that it's probably some type of swallows nest. The bad news is they will be back next year to build a nest in the same place. We put up with the mess in exchange for living in a mosquito-free zone while they're around.

Google Barn Swallow Nest and look at the images, it is the closest thing to your pic. I agree with the other commentors that it looks like some type of swallow. Not a wasp nest. In any event, fair warning, be sure to knock down a wasp nest in the very early am or at night. Give the Audubon a call, I'll bet they will help you identify, if indeed it is a bird's nest. Good luck!

https://houstonaudubon.org/ways-to-help/injured-birds.html