Mud Daubers: Friend or Foe?

I've been spending a lot of time in my garage lately. Unfortunately, at the moment it is not serving its intended purpose. Instead of housing our vehicles, the garage has become a dumping ground for unclaimed moving boxes, sculptures and extra large art projects made by my little ones, and other miscellaneous items that just somehow find their way there when I'm not looking. Now for those of you that don't know, this garage is something of a miracle. Days before we were to finalize our house plans, I decided that I could not live without one. My builder/husband informed me that this type of last minute decision (which he described as a "disease" that people have in building) would cost us money that was not in the budget. I was unfazed. I wanted a garage.

Now that it's here, even in its current state, I find myself drawn to it. In fact, I spend quite a bit of time there, as it offers a good vantage point of the kids' favorite play areas. Apparently, I'm not the only one who finds our garage so desirable. One day while mentally organizing this disheveled space, I heard a strange buzzing sound. It wasn't an ordinary bee buzzing, but something of a high-pitched song. A song of exact determination. It was the sound of a pipe organ mud dauber (Trypoxylon poitum) at work.

This solitary, narrow-waisted wasp is a familiar sight in the warm summer months. Even more familiar is it's nest, which is often found in garages, attics, and under eaves of houses and other structures. Using mud collected in her mandibles and mixed with saliva, a female constructs her nest of long parallel tubes (hence the name "pipe organ mud dauber") each containing several cells. After a cell is constructed, the female goes in search of spiders which she will paralyze and store in the newly made cell as a food source for her future offspring. While on her search, the male typically stays behind to guard against parasites. When the female has gathered enough spiders, she lays a single egg and seals off the cell with mud. The eggs hatch after two to three days and the larvae begin feeding on the paralyzed spiders. After they've had their fill, they spin cocoons and overwinter inside the nest. The following spring, the adults emerge by chewing their way through the nest wall.

The question remains, are these wasps a friend or foe? Should I allow them to inhabit my sacred garage? Should I be worried about my children's safety? As it turns out, these wasps rarely, if ever sting people. They are quite laid-back in that respect. The way I see it, we have plenty of spiders to go around. Actually, I rather enjoy watching these little masons at work. And if we get really bored this winter, we can always dissect their nests to see what's inside!