Mud Daubers

General Description
Mud dauber wasps are named for their habit of constructing tubular nests of mud plastered on the exterior surfaces of structures. Inside the nest, these wasps place spiders they have paralyzed by stinging, as food for their larvae. Mud daubers are solitary wasps about three-fourths of an inch long. A common mud dauber (Sceliphron caementarium) is brownish-black with yellow markings. Its nests are about 2 inches long. Organ pipe mud daubers (Tropoxylon spp.) are black and construct nests that can be a foot long and resemble the pipes of a pipe organ. The blue mud dauber (Chalybion californicum) is a shiny, dark blue wasp that lays its eggs in the nests of other mud daubers.

General Control
See general control of bees and wasps at the beginning of this section.