Most of us have probably never heard of a mud dauber, many of us may not have even seen one. Mud daubers or dirt wasps are, you guessed it, a type of wasp. They get their name from building their nests from mud.

Mud daubers are quite easy to identify, even though they have three different colours the shape of them stays the same. They grow to one inch, their waists are skinny given them the appearance of stretched out wasp, especially the black ones with yellow marks, they also can be seen as purely black and a gorgeous dark blue.

Mud daubers, are typically non-aggressive compared to other wasps, but will sting when disturbed or threatened. The biggest issue with them is for home owners as the mud nests they build can be farm more difficult than the typical paper wasp nests and although they do not often stay long their nests are the perfect place for far more aggressive wasp species to stay.

Getting rid of Mud Daubers can be as simple as using basic wasp traps to catch the queen in early spring and removing/disposing of her to prevent further infestation.

For more established infestations you may need to consider removing the nest altogether or relocating to a safer location, best done at night time with the proper protective clothing.

You can also go down the natural remedies path. Make a pest spray using essential oils like peppermint or citrus and dilute with lemon juice. Spray around your home to avoid the presence of mud daubers and other wasps.