Mud Daubers are fairly common in Texas. Their average size ranges from ½ inch to 1 inch in length. The dauber’s shape is generally thread-wasted with some mud daubers having a particularly thin and long, stretched out body, segmented located just between the abdomen and thorax. The colors are typically metallic blue or black and some species have greenish or yellow markings on the body. We at A-Tex Pest Management would like to elaborate further on mud daubers in Texas.
Where Are Mud Daubers Found?
These wasps can be found around sheds, barns or houses. Damaged outdoor furnishings may cause problems because they like to inhabit furniture voids. You can avoid problems with wasps by monitoring the foundation of the home. As their name suggests, they build nests with mud, so ensuring the area is well-drained and avoiding mud sources can help prevent them from building a nest.
Are Mud Daubers Aggressive? Do They Sting?
Unlike hornets or yellow jackets, mud daubers are not aggressive and do not defend the nests as the others do. Though these pests can potentially sting, it is not likely. Their venom is used to paralyze prey as opposed for defense, so in the event, they do sting, most only report a slight pain. A few mud dauber species are actually beneficial as they seek out to capture black widow spiders.
What Do Species of Mud Daubers Eat?
Mud daubers are a common name for the wasps that brood nests with mud. There are several species of mud daubers that are commonly referenced as dirt daubers, mud wasps, potter wasps, and Organ-pipe. As adults, they will drink bodily fluids of spiders and insects they capture, plant nectar, and honeydew. Larvae will feed on the captured prey that the adults deposit into the mud nest cells. Before being placed in the mud cell, the prey is stung, not killed, because dead prey decomposing does not provide suitable nourishment for larval development.
Mud Dauber Nests
Mud daubers are solitary insects and the nest helps identify different groups of mud daubers. One nest shape appears as a group of cells that are cylinder-shaped and covered over with mud and the other is the organ pipe group, where the nest looks much like a pipe organ.
Mud Dauber Life Cycle
Depending on the species, mud dauber wasps complete one or two generations per year; undergoing a complete metamorphosis. There are four stages during the lifecycle that include the egg, larvae, or the grub, pupae, or the cocoon, and adults.
Eggs: Adult females begin to capture insects or spiders that are placed into each mud nest cell after they finish building a new nest. Before being sealed with mud, eggs are deposited into each cell along with prey.
Larvae: The prey that was paralyzed and left for the young will be waiting when the larvae hatch from the eggs and need to feed. From there, they will morph into the pupal stage overwinters.
Pupae: The pupae become adults by the following spring and begin a new generation of mud daubers.
Stinging Insect Wasp Inspections, Control, Removal & More in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
Having wasps can be unpleasant on your property. A-Tex Pest Management is readily available to remove mud dauber nests to ensure you or your family do not risk potential stings. Contact us today for a stinging insect and pest inspection as well as a custom pest management program to best meet your needs.