"Eggs" on my clothes line?

[finn's mom]

I keep finding these little groups of small spherical things on my clothes and clothes line. They appear to be eggs, but I can't be sure. It's disturbing, though, as I am worried about putting them on Clara via her blankets or clothes, or even in her mouth via a burp rag or something. :( I can't figure out what they are, though. They're a tannish color and really tiny. Like the size of a period at the end of a sentence, maybe a little bigger.

The group is less than an inch long, in the cases I've seen. Wondering if anyone has any idea what they might be. I'm not leaving my clothes out for very long, either. Maybe an hour or two and I've seen the "eggs." They are sticky, and when I brush them off, some of them fall and others smear into the clothes, and seem to stain! :(

[AdoreMyDogs]

Do you have any pecan trees? I know pecan trees drip a sticky substance. When walking through the park that's loaded with pecan trees, the ground is sticky from all the pecan trees dumping that sticky sap substance.

[lvpets2002]

:) Could we have pictures please.. Yes I agree it does sound like some kind of tree sappp..

[Husky_mom]

kinda pollen-ish... or the tree stuff...

just hope it´s not "eggs".. besides I find it odd for them to be laid in that time span and often...weird.. keep us posted on your finding

[king2005]

Sounds like caterpillar poo. Is there a tree near by that is filled with Caterpillars?

Gross I know, but some of the poop is dry (old) & some is squishy (fresh).
WHAT THE :confused: I was looking for images to show as examples & ummmm I found this article
Tea.. wait what?! (http://www.dba-oracle.com/oracle_news/2006_07_10_Raves_over_chinese_catepillar_poo_tea.h tm)

[MoonandBean]

Eeeew!!!!

[Medusa]

Funny you should mention that. I washed windows yesterday and there were little brownish egg-like spots on the windows and I had to scrape them off. I'm wondering if it was from the maple trees in my yard. Probably. It isn't bad enough that those helicopter pods fall every spring. Either that or maybe we're being taken over by the pod people. :eek:

[MoonandBean]

Invasion of the body snatchers?

[Medusa]

Invasion of the body snatchers?

Ok, no sleep for Mary tonight. ;)

[Sonia59]

Could it be some insects poo:confused: A picture would help, indeed

[finn's mom]

They are about the size of pinheads, so I haven't been able to get a decent photo. I think they're moth eggs, though, as I found a photo online of moth eggs on a clothes line and they look identical to what I have seen on mine and the clothes. Gross, but not as scary as spider eggs would be! It took me awhile to find anything, but I really think that's what they are.

I was pretty sure they were eggs, and we have no trees in the backyard, so I knew it wasn't anything like that. I'll just have to keep an eye on things!

Any suggestions on how to keep them away? I don't think moth balls would really work outside, and I think they'd mostly keep the dogs from going out in the yard, hahaha. ;)

Here's the photo I somehow came across!

http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/naturalconnections/gallery/image+moth_eggs_on_clothes_line

[Daisy and Delilah]

I've seen these before on my clothes lines. I never knew what they were. Good luck finding the source.:(

[AdoreMyDogs]

If it is, indeed, eggs from an insect, you could always put a few drops of tea tree essential oil in the rinse cycle. It's a smell insects tend not to like, it's all natural, and it won't hurt the laundry. It's strong, though, so I wouldn't use any more then 2 drops at first to see how that works. Nature's Sunshine is the brand I use, here's a write up about it.
http://www.naturessunshine.com/us/products/catalog/product/default.aspx?stocknum=1777

Good luck!

[Catherinedana]

It's really quite incredible though, isn't it? It looks like the fine beadwork I've seen on native American clothing and jewelry!

[Husky_mom]

ewww... any insect eggs.. eww...

didn´t knew about tea tree usage for that... cool... and so you don´t worry it´s also safe for Clara... so no worries there.. I mostly used that for cuts and scrapes.. but it has tons of uses.. good to know it´s kinda repellent too..

[beeniesmom]

Sounds like insect eggs. I'd use the dryer until whatever they are go away for the season. We get them too on the windows and on the columns in the backyard.

[angelbow20]

Be careful if they are moth eggs, If they hatch im pretty sure they like to eat clothes! and they will put holes in your clothing.

[finn's mom]

I will ask my pediatrician at tomorrow's appointment about the tea tree oil, that's a great idea! I hope he says it's ok! I am washing a load right now, so I'm going to keep an eye on them really closely when I hang them out to dry. I don't leave the clothes out long enough for the eggs to hatch, so I'm not worried about the larvae eating the clothes. I just don't want my girl to eat the eggs! ;)