Identify bugs in Tek TDS5054

[Jwalling]

This came to me for repair from a customer. I thought they might be termites, but the larvae is fairly large...
At least they had the decency to set up shop on the easily replaced DIMM. 

[Someone]

Wasps?

[tautech]

Wasps?

Yep.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potter_wasp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_dauber

Sufficiently fine ventilation grill designs keep them out.

[james_s]

That looks like a mud dauber nest. They built one in the muffler of my generator, I didn't notice before starting it up and wondered why it was sagging so badly under load. It's also a common problem with the old Coleman gasoline pressure lanterns, they'll build a nest in the air tube and cause the lantern to malfunction.

[wolfy007]

WOW, inside the scope, not the easiest access in the world but they still went there.

[james_s]

They can be pretty small and slip through small gaps like vent holes. It's common to find them in attics and sheds too.

[tautech]

That looks like a mud dauber nest. They built one in the muffler of my generator, I didn't notice before starting it up and wondered why it was sagging so badly under load. It's also a common problem with the old Coleman gasoline pressure lanterns, they'll build a nest in the air tube and cause the lantern to malfunction.

They can certainly be a problem in small petrol motor exhausts depending on the muffler port design where small round ports are the worst which they block completely and the motor refuses to start. The observant can hear a different note when pulling the starter as the normal pop on the exhaust cycle is missing and this is more prevalent on older designs without exhaust spark arrestors.

In another life when I worked on small motors NZ Mason bee's work was a welcome source of additional income.