| Blue mud dauber | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Sphecidae |
| Genus: | Chalybion |
| Species: | C. californicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Chalybion californicum (Saussure, 1867) [1] |
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| Synonyms [1] | |
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The blue mud dauber is a metallic blue species of mud dauber wasp that preys primarily on black widow spiders.[2] It does not build a nest, but uses nests abandoned by other mud dauber wasps. Like other mud daubers, it is rarely aggressive. Blue mud dauber wasps are generally considered beneficial, because they help to regulate the population of black widow spiders.[2]