mud dauber

mud dauber

n. Midland & Western U.S.

Any of various wasps that build nests of mud with cellular compartments for eggs and paralyzed prey. Also called regionally dirt dauber, mud wasp.

Regional Note: There is no nationwide name for the wasp that makes itself a nest of mud. Rather, there are three regional variants. In the South, it is known as a dirt dauber. In the Northeast, and also scattered throughout the Midwest, it is a mud wasp. In between, in the Midlands, and also in the West, it has an in-between name, combining the first word of the Northern name and the last word of the Southern one to make mud dauber. One kind of mud-nesting wasp is also known as a potter wasp.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

mud dauber - wasp that constructs mud cells on a solid base in which females place eggs laid in paralyzed insect larvae sphecoid, sphecoid wasp - any of various solitary wasps family Sphecidae, Sphecidae - mud daubers; some digger wasps