Asked on Jul 01, 2017

How do you keep "mud dobbers " away & from building mud 👀

Karen Jones
by Karen Jones
  6 answers
  • Jan Clark Jan Clark on Jul 01, 2017

    Back in the day, people painted the undersides of their eaves turquoise and the wasps stayed away. You can kill them and the nest with hornet spray but wait until early evening when they've congregated at home and are not as active. Stand back as far as the spray will reach.

  • 13526476 13526476 on Jul 01, 2017

    PLEASE don't kill them--especially don't use sprays! Mud daubers are considered a BENEFICIAL that kills spiders and pollinates. While it is a member of the wasp family, it is a solitary wasp that builds her nests out of mud. The mud dauber pollinates plants while drinking nectar. The dauber kills 2-3 spiders and puts them in the mud channels where she lays her eggs; only the larvae eat "meat.". Mud daubers come in 3 colors: Shiny purple-blue, black and stripped yellow and black. They all have narrow, thread-like waists. It takes a lot to upset mud daubers! They usually will not sting unless really provoked (and maybe not even then). If they are building nests you want to remove, wait at night to scrape the nest off. Remove each nest as you see it, and she will eventually go away to a less threatening area. The female mud dauber builds the nests while the male guards the nest until she has completely built it, stuffed it with spiders, laid the eggs and sealed the tubes. He guards the nest from other insects who want to lay their eggs in the tubes. Again, the wasps do not live in the nests. We must protect these wasps!

    • Bess Wall Bess Wall on May 08, 2020

      They do huge amounts of damage, however, and on my property, at my house, barn and RV, I will kill them. They stop up AC units AND they sting.


  • NN NN on Jul 02, 2017

    I also live in central Texas. We had a lot of them when the porch ceiling was dark brown. After I painted it white, we have had almost no trouble with them.

  • Millie Millie on Jul 02, 2017

    I agree with PJWise123! Because we are so quick to use sprays, etc. we are killing our pollinators. If we don't have pollinators like these wasps, bees, etc., WE DON'T EAT! Please think before spraying with the polluting chemicals that are now in our water supplies, too. Each of us needs to become aware of the consequences of our actions. It all adds up!

    • Karen Jones Karen Jones on Jul 02, 2017

      And what do you propose to get rid of their mud nests? Of course once removed....area has to be repainted! Nests are about like concrete!

  • Millie Millie on Jul 02, 2017

    Scrape the nests away. Make sure there are no places for spiders to hide, like crevices, weeds/tall grasses close to the house, as the spiders are what they are after for putting into their nests. I don't know why blue or turquoise color repels them, but I guess using that color under eaves works. Keep scraping them away and they will give up and go elsewhere.

  • Jennifer Jennifer on Jun 19, 2020

    I get it they are pollinators but for my family they represent death...... my mother is HIGHLY allergic so its them or her....i need them to go away not eventually not next season not even next week but now! The little death machines have 3 nests going and I have seen like 10 of them in one!