Sceliphron Caementarium (Drury), A Mud Daubing Wasp

The term mud dauber is applied to several wasps which make mud nests, but it is most commonly associated with Sceliphron caementarium (Drury). The genus Sceliphron has 3 nearctic species, of which only S. caementarium occurs in Florida, this black and yellow, thread-waisted wasp is distinctive and often first noticed because of the mud nests which it constructs under roof eaves. In fact, the nests of S. caementarium are so commonly associated with man-made structures (bridges, barns, homes) that the natural habitat is virtually unknown! The mud dauber is a solitary wasp with one female per nest, as contrasted with hornets and yellow jackets which are social wasps generally having several to many females per nest. While these latter insects are easily provoked to sting, Sceliphron is content merely to give a few warning buzzes of its wings, although it may sting when roughly handled, G. D. Shafer, who wrote an interesting little book, The Ways of a Mud Dauber, induced Sceliphron to feed on honey dabbed on his fingertips.