Throughout Texas, there are a host of stinging pests buzzing about and mud daubers are included. Mud daubers are a species of wasps that have a thread-waisted body shape and some types will have an especially thin and long, stretched-out body where it is segmented between the abdomen and thorax. Also, they are usually about ½ inch to 1 inch long. Though some species may have body markings of greenish or yellow, mud daubers are usually a metallic blue or black color. Today, we at A Five Star Termite and Pest Control would like to continue to discuss the fundamentals of mud daubers.
Do Mud Daubers Sting
What attracts mud daubers is a suitable nesting site. With a tendency to inhabit furniture voids, the damage is expedited mud dauber disturbance is felt when spending time where they are nesting, such as around barns, sheds, or houses. Mud daubers are also potentially troublesome for outdoor furnishings. Particularly along the home’s foundation, you can better avoid a wasp outbreak on your property by monitoring the grounds. Due to their name, mud daubers tend to develop their nests in the mud. Their venom is injected when they sting, which is their advantage for hunting and defensive behavior that leaves you with mild to moderate pain. Since they hunt black widows and other insects, some consider mud daubers beneficial.
Types of Mud Dauber Wasps
There are several that fit this category such as potter wasps, Organ-pipe, dirt daubers, and mud wasps as mud daubers are a common reference reserved for wasps that brood nests with mud. Honeydew, plant nectar, and the bodily fluids of spiders and other insects is the primary diet. To feed the hatched larvae, females capture paralyzed prey. The prey is only paralyzed but not dead so they do not decompose before they can be eaten to make certain the young has the nourishment; they need to complete metamorphosis.
Mud Dauber Life Cycle
Depending on species, mud dauber wasp’s complete total metamorphosis for one and sometimes 2 generations a season and evolve in 4 lifecycles that include egg, larvae (or grub), pupae (or the cocoon), and adult.
Eggs: The egg and paralyzed prey are usually in individual cells in the nests constructed by the females that are then seal it up with mud.
Larvae: Though they will then morph into the pupal stage to overwinter the larvae will devour their paralyzed bounty after they have hatched.
Pupae: A new generation of mud daubers emerge by the following spring where the adults continue the cycle.
Adults: Male mud daubers do not die right after breeding, unlike bees, and instead most species will stand guard as the female constructs the nest, lays her eggs, hunts, and seals it, in order to provide protection from other insects looking to nest or other threats.
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Mud daubers can be more than nuisance, especially if anyone suffers from an allergic reaction to their stings. If you discover mud daubers on the property especially if they are close to your home or business, contact the professionals of A Five Star Termite and Pest Control and let our certified experts take care of the nest safely and efficiently.
