Animal in the trough

[Katherine J]

I think these are made by some animal(s). Has anybody any idea what it could be, or should I dig? On the plants I see no harm at the moment (but what is below the soil ).

[Gerdk]

Kathrine,
Maybe you found the excretions of earthworms.   They deposite their s...
just above their holes.
If this is the fact, there is no harm.
I am curious about what other forumists will think about it 

Gerd

[ian mcenery]

Kathrine I think this could be what we call in the UK Miner bees try the link below


http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm

[mark smyth]

Can you take a close up of the 'droppings'?

[Lesley Cox]

They also look like the detritus that is thrown up when ants make underground nests; the little shiny black ants that are around in most people's gardens, especialy under my dianthus plants.

[mark smyth]

I was think wood louse

[Katherine J]

Hello.
I wasn't at home on the weekend. Thank you for your comments. This through is on our balcony, near a south-facing wall.
Ian, I've seen many times solitary bees like this, which tried to make nest in my plant's pots.... I usually did not let them to finish it... put something on the hole and then they went away. But who knows... As I understand from this site, they don't make any harm to the plants?
I think I should anyway replant this through this year, it looks rather tired.
I will try to make a closer photo, but now it's raining and is extremly dark.
Strange that I look at it very often and I can't see or hear anything. And there are no holes on these piles, nor anywhere else.

[ian mcenery]

On reflection it does look like ants and Lesley could be right so Kathrine be careful where you repot

[Katherine J]

After some exploration I found only this. It is about 4 mm, and looks very tired  .

He was in the soil, not above!

[mark smyth]

looks like a parasitic wasp

[ian mcenery]

seems like he dug his own grave   

[Anthony Darby]

Looks like a solitary bee to me. No threat to humans or plants.