DIRT DAUBER OR MUD DAUBER
(sp. Chalybion californicum & Var.)
Dirt or Mud Daubers are not agressive,
and even if they land on you, they’re not
likely to sting. Named for their cementlike nests, of which only the females are
responsible for.
There are several varieties of Dirt Dauber, but the dark-blue one is certainly a
Rockport commoner with the added
bonus of hunting, almost exclusively:
Black Widow Spiders.
About the only harm a Dirt Dauber presents is their nest. They’ve been known
to stop up a gun barrel.
GALL WASP
(sp. Disholcaspis cinerosa)
Gall Wasps reproduce in association
with the Live Oak trees. They produce
two distinctive generations a year. The
larvae secrete a biochemical that stimulates the Live Oak to grow galls by late
summer or early fall. By the end of December they have chewed their way out
and emerge as adult females - ready to
lay eggs! The eggs they lay grow into
male and female (who are only a third
the size of the asexual female) The Gall
Wasps mate, lay their eggs, and the process repeats itself. Find out more on the
Live Oak Page.
38