Mud Dauber Facts & Information

Mud daubers are solitary wasps and do not form colonies like yellow jackets, hornets, and paper wasps. They overwinter in their nests as larvae and emerge as adults in the spring. Nests with holes drilled in their sides are inactive and empty. Mud daubers are usually black, but they may have pale markings or a blue metallic luster. The mud dauber has a thread-waisted body, meaning there is a long, slender segment between the thorax and abdomen. Mud daubers also possess clear or dark wings.

Finding a nest is the most common sign of a mud dauber infestation. The shape of the mud dauber nest is a key indicator of the wasp group. For example, female black-and-yellow mud daubers will construct their nests of many short mud tubes measuring about 1” long that are built side-by-side. On the other hand, the organ pipe mud dauber constructs a nest comprised of many long mud tubes that resemble pipes on a pipe organ. In general, most mud daubers will select a new site to build a nest for each generation. If the nest has holes, it may indicate that the nest is inactive or old, as mud dauber wasps create holes when they leave the nest. Mud daubers are not aggressive and are unlikely to sting. Still, care should be taken in the presence of an abandoned mud dauber nest, as other, more aggressive insects may take it over. If you do have these wasps around your home, you may want to bring in a wasp exterminator to start the mud dauber removal process.

Mud daubers undergo complete metamorphosis, which means they pass through four stages during their lifecycle – egg, larvae, pupae (cocoon), and adult. Depending on the species, they complete one or two generations per year. In the spring, overwintering pupae develop into the adult. The new adult females will construct nests comprised of mud tubes of varying sizes. Each mud tube is provisioned with several spiders that the female mud dauber catches and paralyzes with her venom. The female mud dauber deposits an egg on the first spider within each mud tube and then seals them with mud. The mud dauber larvae will hatch from the eggs and feed on the prey left behind by the adult female mud dauber. Then, the larvae will develop into pupae, a process that usually takes about three weeks. The pupae will spin a silk cocoon to overwinter until the following spring when they become adults.

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