| any of several wasps of the family Sphecidae that build a nest of mud cells and provision it with spiders or insects. |
| 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. 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. |