Blue Mud Wasp

Description:

Blue Mud Wasp spotted in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK. The Blue Mud Wasp is an impressive and beautiful wasp, which can be identified by its blue and black sheen, a narrow petiole (“waist” between thorax and abdomen) and its length of 10 to 23 millimeters. Its range extends from northern Mexico to Southern Canada, although it has been introduced in Hawaii and Bermuda as well.

Habitat:

A unique quality of the Blue Mud Wasp is how it builds (or rather steals) its nest. It often reforms nests of the Sceliphron camentarium (black and yellow mud dauber wasp) by removing the larva of the unwanted species from the cells and replacing it with one of its own. The Blue Mud Wasp will use water to soften the nest of the S. camentarium and remove the spiders that are hosting the unwanted mud dauber larva. Then the Blue Mud Wasp will replace the cell with new spiders, lay an egg on the last spider, and close up the cell. The larvae grow from a white and silky cocoon to be up to 1-inch long, cream colored, legless, and with the appearance of a maggot. These nests can often be found in the shadow of buildings or bridges.

Notes:

Blue Mud Wasp feeds on nectar and is a pollinator of some common wildflowers. It has been reported to visit Berberis vulgaris, Daucus carota, and Zizia aurea to name a few. Like many other wasps, adult Chalybion californium needs floral nectar to provide the energy they need for flight. While the adults feed on flowers, they feed their developing larvae high protein foods like spiders (often the black widow, Latrodectus spp.). The Blue Mud Wasp captures these spiders by grabbing them from their webs or alternatively, luring them out of their place of protection. The wasp then uses its sting to immobilize the spider, preparing a meal for its developing young.