Quote:
Originally Posted by cashflyer
Though mud daubers do sting spiders to harvest them, mud daubers rarely ever sting humans. Usually it is only from being caught in clothing and believing itself to be unable to escape.
Mud dauber nests are occasionally considered unsightly nuisances on human buildings. However, before you eradicate your mud dauber nests, remember that these relatively harmless insects comb the environment for spiders, including black widows.
The black-and-yellow mud dauber (Sceliphron caementarium) constructs nest cells side by side or on top of one another; the final product is rounded and about the size of a lemon or a fist.
The organ pipe mud dauber (Trypoxylon politum) is black with blue wings, with white “stockings” on the hind legs. It makes vertical, parallel rows of cells; the finished product looks like a pipe organ.
The blue mud dauber (Chalybion californicum) is a pretty metallic blue; it does not build nests but instead reuses those of one of the other species. Instead of mud, it carries water, which it uses to soften and remodel the mud of the older nests.
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How 'bout that. I knew that most all of them ate spiders, but I didn't know that the steel blues were squatters. I guess that explains why some of the rows of organ pipes change to a darker color during the summer. They're remodeling an old house.
I only knock off the ones that build inside the shop, in my home garage, under the vehicles I fix, or under the awning at work when customers get the heebie-jeebies. I had to rehab a motorhome last year that had organ pipe nests that were 4 rows deep on the differential cover. That stack of nests was at least a 3 pounder!
