This is a medium sized wasp about an inch in length. This black wasp has a bluish to purplish sheen on both its body and wings. The antennae, eyes and legs are also black. It can be confused with another wasp, the larger and more gray appearing Great Black Wasp (Sphex pennsylvanicus).
It is commonly seen throughout the summer nectaring on flowers and around buildings.
Another name for this solitary wasp is Blue Mud Dauber. It renovates abandoned mud nests of other wasps including nests of the Black and Yellow Mud Dauber (Sceliphron caementarium). It then stocks the nest with paralyzed spiders as food for the wasp larva. The finished nests have a bumpy looking appearance. Photos C and D show a female at her impressively large nest in the kiosk in the Gifford Road parking lot.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Loren Padelford.