The fruit you see above is known as the horse apple, hedge apple, Osage orange, bois d'arc, bodark, or bodock. The scientific name is Maclura pomifera. Regardless of what you call it, it remains a very useful plant. Before the invention of DEET and other insect repellents this fruit was used extensively to deter insects within the house. It was used as moth repellent in wardrobes and closets; used to deter spiders, roaches and other pests in basements and insects that may be living under the bed. It is reportedly edible though unpalatable without a lot of preparation. The wood of this small tree / shrub has many uses as well, but is aside from the purpose of this post.
Unlike some folklore without scientific backing, studies about the insect repellent qualities of the Osage orange seem to be valid. There is a latex like chemical within the fruit that deters fungal grow and insects. See wikipedia reference
We found a large cache of these while out and about the other day. They were littering the side of the roadway so being the odd people we are, we stopped, collected about a dozen and brought them home. Each kid has one in their room, one in our bedroom and a few in the basement. There are three in the kitchen. Though anecdotal, the ant problem that has been plaguing our kitchen for 3 weeks seems to have disappeared overnight. If you come across these it is well worth the time and effort to collect a few and try them out. They are found in the fall (mid-October here in Pennsylvania).
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