wasps - mud dobbers

[fred1949]

Can someone please tell me if there is a sure way to tell which are wasps & which are Mud Dobbers?

[kactuskid]

Here's a couple of links that may help you out.

http://www.greensmiths.com/bees.htm

http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek020401.html

[fred1949]

Thank you very much. Both articles were helpful.

Fred

[LazyPup]

The quick answer is both are WASPS. Red wasps are paper wasps that build a round flat open celled nest out of paper. Paper wasps are very territorial, rather ill tempered and pack a sting that is a wallop. and contrary to honey bee's which can only sting one time, wasps and hornets tend to sting multiple times.

Blue wasps are mud daubers and they build nests out of mud that look like small parallel tubes. I don't recall ever having been stung by a blue wasp even though they are thick as thieves around the farm.

In fact, i like wasps because they control the spider population. Mud daubers capture spiders and sting them to paralize them. They then put one spider in each cell of their nest along with an egg. The spider then provides food for the larvae once the egg hatches.