All About the Mud Dauber
If you have ever encountered an insect that looks like a wasp but it has yellow and black color, typical wasp body with a long and narrow waist, a stinger and the behavior was extremely docile, most likely you are seeing a Mud Dauber.
This insect gets its name from the obvious. It makes its nest out of mud. The female wasp will carry balls of mud to the nest, and build it. They will build their nests side by side, or on top of each other. They will look rounded. This is much different than a regular wasp. A mud dauber’s nest has no combs. The nest is just packed-in mud.
Mud Daubers are solitary wasps. This means there is no hive. They do everything alone. They eat spiders, even the famous black widow. They will sting the spider, only to paralyze it. They then will carry it back to the nest so that the babies can feed off the spider. For this reason alone, a mud dauber is considered essential and a good natural form of pest control.
Their stingers are used 99% of the time for prey. They very rarely sting humans---only if handled roughly or attacked. The best thing to do is to leave them alone and not git rid of them or their nest. They will prey on spiders and flies. You can count on birds to get rid of the mud daubers. Pest Control Near Me AZ Carefree
The best way to get rid of them, if you need to, is to spray with wasps freeze and knock down the nest with a broomstick. IF you want to keep the wasps away from a certain area, you can put a tablespoon of peppermint extract into a spray bottle and fill with water. Spray where you want to keep the wasps away. They hate the smell of peppermint! Pest Control Near Me AZ Carefree
