There is a host of stinging pests buzzing through Texas and mud daubers are among them. Averaging about ½ inch to 1 inch in length, mud daubers are a species of wasps that typically have thread-wasted body shapers and some types will have an especially thin and long, stretched-out body where it is segmented between the abdomen and thorax. Normally mud daubers are metallic blue or black and some types may have body markings of greenish or yellow. Along with this, we at A Five Star Termite and Pest Control would like to continue to relate some basics concerning mud daubers.
Where Do Mud Daubers Live?
Mud daubers are potentially troublesome for outdoor furnishings as they tend to inhabit furniture voids, accelerate the damage and be a disturbance when spending time where they are nesting, around sheds, barns, or houses. You can better avoid a wasp outbreak on your property by monitoring the grounds, especially along the home’s foundation. Mud daubers tend to develop their nests in the mud, hence their names, which is why you want to ensure the foundation is well-drained to avoid their attraction.
Are Mud Daubers Aggressive?
Mud daubers are docile and not at all aggressive like hornets or yellow jackets that defend their territory. Mud daubers have venom they use to paralyze their prey with, and though they can sting, they do not normally, however, if they do, they reserve their venom for hunting and defensive, leaving you with mild pain. Some consider mud daubers beneficial as they hunt black widows and other insects.
Organ Pipe, Blue & Other Mud Dauber Types
Mud daubers are a common reference reserved for wasps that brood nests with mud and there are several that fit this category such as potter wasps, dirt daubers, Organ-pipe, and mud wasps. Their diet include honeydew, plant nectar, and the bodily fluids of spiders and other insects. Females will capture paralyzed prey to feed the hatched larvae as well. To ensure the young has the nourishment they need to complete metamorphosis, the prey is only paralyzed but not dead so they do not decompose before they can be eaten.
Mud Dauber Life Cycle
Generally, mud dauber wasps undergo complete total metamorphosis for one and sometimes two generations a season, depending on species, and evolve in four life cycles; egg, larvae (or grub), pupae (or the cocoon), and adult.
Eggs: Females form the nests, usually in individual cells where they place the egg and paralyzed prey, where they then seal it up with mud.
Larvae: After hatching, the larvae will devour their paralyzed bounty where they will then morph into the pupal stage to overwinter.
Pupae: By the following spring, a new generation of mud daubers emerge, where the adults continue the cycle.
Adults: Unlike like bees, male mud daubers do not die right after breeding, but instead most species will stand guard as the female constructs the nest, lays her eggs, hunts, and seals it, offering protection from other insects looking to nest or other threats.
Stinging Insect Inspections, Control & Removal in Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Timberwood Park, Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, Selma, Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Cibolo, Seguin, New Berlin, St Hedwig, Adkins, La Vernia, Elmendorf, Losoya, Von Ormy, Macdona & San Antonio, Texas
When you find mud daubers on your property, be sure to call in the experts of A Five Star Termite and Pest Control and let our certified technicians ensure they are effectively eliminated. Contact us today!
