Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
The black and yellow mud dauber, Sceliphron caementarium, is a species of sphecid wasp. There are some 30 other species of Sceliphron that occur throughout the world, though in appearance and habits they are quite similar to S. caementarium.
Mud dauber is a name commonly applied to a number of wasps from either the family Sphecidae or Crabronidae that build their nests from mud; this excludes members of the family Vespidae, which are instead referred to as "potter wasps". Mud daubers belong to different families and are variable in appearance. Most are long, slender wasps about 1 inch (25 mm) in length. The name refers to the nests that are made by the female wasps, which consist of mud molded into place by the wasp's mandibles. Mud daubers are not normally aggressive, but can become belligerent when threatened. Stings are uncommon.
Sceliphron is a genus of Hymenoptera of the Sphecidae family of wasps, commonly referred to as mud daubers. They are solitary and build nests made of mud. Nests are frequently constructed in shaded niches, often just inside of windows or vent openings, and it may take a female only a day to construct a cell requiring dozens of trips carrying mud. Females will add new cells one by one to the nest after each cell is provisioned. They provision these nests with spiders, such as crab spiders, orb-weaver spiders and jumping spiders in particular, as food for the developing larvae. Each mud cell contains one egg and is provided with several prey items. Females of some species lay a modest average of 15 eggs over their whole lifespan. Various parasites attack these nests, including several species of cuckoo wasps, primarily by sneaking into the nest while the resident mud dauber is out foraging.
The organ pipe mud dauber is a predatory wasp in the family Crabronidae. They are fairly large wasps, ranging from 3.9–5.1 cm, and have been recorded to fly from May to September. Female and male are similar in colour, a shiny black with pale yellow to white hind hindtarsomere. The organ pipe mud dauber feeds mainly on three genera of spider: Neoscona, Araneus, and Eustala. Melittobia, a parasitoid wasp, is a common ectoparasite of T. politum prepupae. Other sources of parasitism include the Bombyliid fly Anthrax, Chrysidid wasps, and various species of scavenger flies (Miltogramminae). The tufted titmouse is a known predator of T. politum, and may feed on them more commonly than previously thought as the holes made by the titmouse are similar in shape and size to those made by T. politum leaving the nest after pupation.
The jacal is an adobe-style housing structure historically found throughout parts of the south-western United States and Mexico. This type of structure was employed by some aboriginal people of the Americas prior to European colonization and was later employed by both Hispanic and white settlers in Texas and elsewhere.
The Spheciformes is a paraphyletic assemblage of insect families which collectively comprise the "sphecoid wasps". Larvae are carnivorous.
The blue mud dauber or blue mud wasp is a metallic blue species of mud dauber wasp first described by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1867. It is not normally aggressive towards humans. It is similar in shape and colour to the steel-blue cricket hunter. Like other types of wasps, males do not have an ovipositor, and therefore cannot sting. It is ranged from northern Mexico to southern Canada, including most of the United States. It has also been introduced to regions including Hawaii, Bermuda and Croatia
Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw. Wattle and daub has been used for at least 6,000 years and is still an important construction method in many parts of the world. Many historic buildings include wattle and daub construction, and the technique is becoming popular again in more developed areas as a low-impact sustainable building technique.
The Syrphini are a tribe of hoverflies.
Sceliphron laetum is a wasp in the family Sphecidae, the mud-dauber wasps. Like other members of this genus, it is a solitary species and builds cells out of mud in which to rear its young, provisioning them with paralysed spiders, and laying an egg in each. This wasp is native to Australia and southeastern Asia.
Chlorion aerarium, known generally as the steel-blue cricket hunter or aphid wasp, is a species of thread-waisted wasps in the family Sphecidae. It is similar in shape and colour to the blue mud dauber.
Eucerceris is a genus of wasps in the family Crabronidae. There are more than 40 described species in Eucerceris.
Salpingogaster is a genus of syrphid flies in the family Syrphidae. There are at least 30 described species in Salpingogaster.
Chalybion zimmermanni, known generally as the Zimmermann's mud wasp or blue mud dauber wasp, is a species of thread-waisted wasp in the family Sphecidae.
Eristalis stipator, the yellow-shouldered drone fly, is a species of hoverfly native to North America. It is abundant in western North America, with a few scattered records in the east. It flies from mid-May to early November, and is known to hilltop.
Cryptocarenus is a genus of typical bark beetles in the family Curculionidae. There are more than 20 described species in Cryptocarenus.
Hoplisoides punctifrons is a species of sand wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
Bamboo-mud wall is a composite wall construction method largely used in Taiwan under Japanese rule in the early 20th century. Derived from Japanese wattle and daub, Bamboo-mud wall differs from Japanese processor in its materiality, using bamboo instead of wood for woven lattice.
Chrysis angolensis is a species of cuckoo wasp in the family Chrysididae, found throughout much of the world. The species is a parasite of mud dauber nests, especially the black and yellow mud dauber Sceliphron caementarium.
