Bees and wasps. Not many people are fans of them and of course we’re naturally a bit skiddish around them. They sting. They bite. They hurt. But a very common one that you see time and time again in Beaufort and throughout the south, mud daubers, are the Lowcountry’s misunderstood wasp.
You know them as the hornet/wasp looking thing that builds its organ pipe shaped nests out of ‘mud’ on the side on your house, or hanging from your soffit under the exterior of your roof.
Yes, those. They can be beneficial to us, and actually are.
They make spiders disappear.
Mud daubers primarily prey on relatively small, colorful spiders, such as crab spiders, orb
weavers and some jumping spiders. They usually find them in and around vegetation or around the exterior of the house. Blue mud daubers are the main predator of the black and brown widow spiders.
Instead of stocking a nest cell with one or two large spiders, mud daubers cram as many as two dozen small spiders into a nest cell. To capture a spider, the wasp grabs it and stings it. The venom from the sting does not kill the spider, but paralyzes and preserves it so it can be transported and stored in the nest cell until consumed by the larva. A mud dauber usually lays its egg on the prey item and then seals it into the nest cell with a mud cap.
Bonus.
Now, we’re not saying to be unafraid, or to play with them or anything like that. But they simply won’t usually even bother with you. Although they are capable of stinging, mud daubers are unlikely to sting even when they are being disturbed.
Actually, the pain caused by the sting of most mud daubers is not even considered to be especially painful. Their venom is mostly used to paralyze and preserve their prey. They’re also not aggressive and they don’t defend their nests as social wasps do.
So when it comes to mud daubers, there really isn’t much at all to be afraid of. Because they’re a natural form of pest control and aren’t threatening to humans, it is recommended to leave them alone, unless they become a nuisance.
See, we don’t have to be afraid of everything.
