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What is this?

post #1 of 38
8/1/12 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 

This is on the side of my house underneath the eaves.  Good or Bad?   Not big enough for bats or birds.  

 

Those black spots are actually holes in it.   I didn't see any creatures around it.   I don't know how long it has been there either. 

 

1000

 

 

1000

I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

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I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

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post #2 of 38
8/1/12 at 6:54am

it's a mud dauber's nest

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post #3 of 38
8/1/12 at 9:01am
Yep. There harmless if you don't bother her nest.
frow.gif I'm Lucas Michael Gomes. I am 30% Navajo, 35% hispanic and 35% Portugese.
>> Sacred Heart 4-H. I am a Catholic!!! <<
Chicks are only Available for Pick-up until May, then i can ship

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frow.gif I'm Lucas Michael Gomes. I am 30% Navajo, 35% hispanic and 35% Portugese.
>> Sacred Heart 4-H. I am a Catholic!!! <<
Chicks are only Available for Pick-up until May, then i can ship

jumpy.gif Chicks: White Plymouth Rock bantams, Standard Salmon Faverolles and Standard Light Brahmas jumpy.gif
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post #4 of 38
8/1/12 at 10:04am
Thread Starter 

What do "mud daubers" do?  It's been so dry, I'd be surprised if it's from this year.  Though I do water the garden every day and Lord knows the creek has dried up pretty good. 

I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

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I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

Reply
post #5 of 38
8/1/12 at 10:08am

We call them "dirt daubers".  I think they store insects in their nests to eat later.  If you take it down, you will probably find a lot of dead bugs in there.  They resemble wasps (to me at least) but don't sting.

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post #6 of 38
8/1/12 at 10:26am

Those are for there eggs. They build those to lay eggs in. Harmless but an eyesore.

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Project we are the plan.

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caf.gif Incubator Cam!!! pop.gif Pug Puppy Cam!

clap.gif How to play Harmonica
Homeland Security Plan 2Aold.gif

 

Project we are the plan.

Reply
post #7 of 38
8/1/12 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by just me View Post

We call them "dirt daubers".  I think they store insects in their nests to eat later.  If you take it down, you will probably find a lot of dead bugs in there.  They resemble wasps (to me at least) but don't sting.


Yeah that's what their called around my part of the woods too they are in the wasp family and will sting you if provoked intensely, but its not a bad burning sting like their cousins the red, black, and guinea wasp administer along with their greeting for you. The nest has little compartments/sections inside each of those rows and each one is filled with bugs/spiders and eggs from the "dobbers".  The bugs and spiders that are inside the nest aren't actually dead they are in a trans-like coma so they will still be alive and fresh for eating for the larva that will hatch from the "dobber" eggs and eventually metamorphose into juvenile wasp and they will chew/dig their way out of the nest.

 

Last week I walked out into the garage and something strange caught my eye it was a solid white dobber nest and we don't have white mud around here, what is said?  I then realized we had some kitchen and inning room renovations here in the last few weeks  well the dry-wall finisher had dumped out some drywall mud/texture outside where he washed off his tools and buckets, the darn dirt dobbers found this stuff and made themselves white castles out of it . i wanted to get a picture of it but tarried too long as usually and my nephew came along and wiped it out with a stick, KIDS! grr

 

Jeff

There's a whole world of differences between propagators and breeders. My goal is to propagate breeders towards the Standard of Perfection.
 
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you can make a purse out of it, but it won't be silk. LOL
 
Maybe in about another 30-40 years I'll get this "being an expert" thing figured out by then. LOL
 
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There's a whole world of differences between propagators and breeders. My goal is to propagate breeders towards the Standard of Perfection.
 
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, you can make a purse out of it, but it won't be silk. LOL
 
Maybe in about another 30-40 years I'll get this "being an expert" thing figured out by then. LOL
 
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post #8 of 38
8/1/12 at 4:15pm
Thread Starter 

I haven't disturbed it and don't  plan to.  I do have Wasps however and I spray those suckers.  I've been stung once as they try to build nests just inside the coop doors.  Also under the eaves on the house.  

 

They are also the main predator of the black and brown widow spiders.

 

Organ-pipe mud daubers build their very distinctive and elegant tubes on vertical or horizontal faces of walls, cliffs, bridges, overhangs and shelter caves or other structures.

 

 

I believe I might have seen one or tow in my garden as I water.    In this dry weather it's likely my garden may be the only place to find mud.

 

Adults of both sexes frequently drink flower nectar, but they stock their nests with spiders, which serve as food for their offspring

 

So they do pollinate I guess and that's good for my garden. 

I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

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I'm not old, I'm Vintage.

 

A friend loveth at all times - Prov 17:17   

Reply
post #9 of 38
8/1/12 at 4:19pm

It kind of looks like the pan flute the half horse half man(minataur?) plays. Never saw a dauber build one like that around here but it is certainly what it is.

"The difference between being involved and being committed is the same as the difference between eggs and bacon. The chicken is involved. But the pig is committed"  Anonymous

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"The difference between being involved and being committed is the same as the difference between eggs and bacon. The chicken is involved. But the pig is committed"  Anonymous

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post #10 of 38
8/1/12 at 5:11pm

Knock it down, or they will keep building more. I hate those dumb things. I smash every one I see.

 

 

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