Dirt Daubers
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 5:43 pm
by WesRagle
Hi Guys,
My Onex is waiting for inspection. I visit it every day just to ensure it that everything will be OK. It’s that time of year when mud daubers are active putting hard chunks of clay anywhere and everywhere. These critters are interesting to watch but their nests are bad news for aircraft owners.
Here is an excerpt from Texas A&M Ag Extension:
The black and yellow mud dauber, Sceliphron caementarium (Drury), constructs a globular nest containing one cell to several cells, also provisioned with paralyzed spiders.
Today when I visited the Onex I found this on the floor beneath the engine:
Apparently this epic battle ended in a draw.
Question: Does anyone know of a good method to repel Mud Daubers?
Wes
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 6:27 pm
by Area 51%
I’d say, figure out what kind of spider that is, and start breeding them. Either that, or put a jar full of a weaker variety spiders in your neighbor’s hangar.
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 9:15 am
by inventor
Smear grease over any area you don’t want the daubers to build.
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 7:53 pm
by n502pd
Here are three images of my solution to mud daubers, that is still in beta testing, as I have yet to have any of them show up. But they will shortly I am sure. I have come to the conclusion that they like to pack their prey into little holes, so I have provided them with some external holes made out of straws, which were wraped in dark tape and cut in thirds on the band saw. Dark tape because I think most of the holes they find are some what short in length and dark inside. I used bailing wire to support them whereever I thnk the bugs will enter my plane, like at the wing end, ele end, engine openings, etc. When I catch several I will update, but I may have too small of diameter straws. I dont know what actual size hole they prefur. Anyone???
The last image of the wingtip mod I did last January is a preflight inspection window of the aieleron counterweight area. I had a flight last fall where after landing, I lost all right aiel control because of a massive, very hard dauber nest came loose on landing afrom the rear side of the outboard spar and blocked the downward motion of the counterweight.
The beta testing now underway will tell me if I need to increase the straw size, or go to plan B, which hasnt been hatched yet!!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:11 pm
by Rynoth
n502pd wrote:
This looks an awful lot like you plan to launch mud daubers out of your plane like fireworks. I think I like it.
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:22 pm
by WesRagle
Hey Joe,
Not too sure about the straws. That is unless that thing that looks like a string is really a fuse 
I know the smaller black daubers reuse the nests abandon by the black and yellow mud daubers. Not sure the black and yellow ones reuse the nests. So, you may just end up with more black ones 
I have a trailer house out in the boonies. We had a bad rodent problem and the guy at the feed store sold us some fox urine and told us to soak cotton balls with the stuff and toss them under the trailer to solve the problem. That and some traps took care of it.
So, if I can get some of them there jumping spiders to pee in a bottle I might have a solution.
Wes
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:25 pm
by n502pd
Rynoth wrote:
n502pd wrote:
This looks an awful lot like you plan to launch mud daubers out of your plane like fireworks. I think I like it.
Ha Ha!! dont give me any ideas!. In truth, I am such a penny pincher, I plan to use a hose and just wash them out before any mature.
And, thanks much for the hand holding on uploadng pictures today!!!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Thu May 28, 2020 9:59 am
by Area 51%
We have some sort of carpenter/wood boring wasps here. Those little mothers will spend all day making a hole only to lose it to a dauber. They might be contractors.
For the record…I just measured some holes and came up with .3128-.4276.
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 10:04 pm
by n502pd
that is good info. all I have to do now for REV 1 is find larger dia straws!!TKS!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:26 pm
by n502pd
short, maybe totally useless, update on -dauber trap; rev one is in testing, at ‘straw’ diameter id .375", utilizing 2.5 in lengths of clear vynal tubing, to see 1) if the dia of plastic straws disinterests them from making a nest, and 2): if the color…orange/red… keeps them away too. got to give it a week. thanks for any interest!!! Yuall keep smiling out there!!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:59 pm
by GordonTurner
Joe. You are truly a scientist. Good luck with the bugs.
Gordon. Gordon Turner.
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:22 am
by n502pd
Thanks much! However, I am a bit bored, due to lots of rain, covig 19,now high heat and lots of winds 30–45 deg off rwy headings. By the time the winds die down and temps abate some, she calls for dinner, and so far, maybe to my cagrin, I havnt missed any of those calls!!! At some time, I hope , I can get aft cg test done, spin recoveries done, more hard surface practice, before I can go on cross country for fuel burn tests. then, on into phase 2!!! Keep the greasy side down!!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 2:24 am
by 509sx
For a couple of years we have built nesting boxes for mason bees, aka mud daubers. They like their holes 5/16" in diameter, and up to 6" deep. They pack in food and eggs for the next generation to emerge in the late spring. There may be other buggies that do similar things though. I worry most about the Pitot tube.
Art
Sonex 509 taildragger
2700 cc Corvair
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 4:36 pm
by n502pd
Thanks for the specs, Art! I may yet get some3thing to attrat them away from the little holes around the counterweights for the ailerons. do you feel color of the tubes means anything??
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:42 pm
by 509sx
Don’t think so, as long as it’s dark inside. We made “apartments” for them by boring holes in wood blocks, hoping they’d stick around and help pollinate our apple trees. Turns out they seem more interested in mating during their brief tenure in maturity, and we observed lots of other buggies doing the pollination gig, so we gave up on them. I would be wary of inviting them close to your airplane, though. I’d put the nests far away, so they don’t try to plug any exterior holes that might exist on your bird.
Art
Southern WA
Corvex/Sonvair 2700cc TD
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:47 pm
by 509sx
By-the-way, your mud dauber nest looks like it’s wired to explode on your command once populated, via that wire from your computer. Do I have this right?
Art
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:40 pm
by peter anson
509sx wrote:For a couple of years we have built nesting boxes for mason bees, aka mud daubers. They like their holes 5/16" in diameter, and up to 6" deep. They pack in food and eggs for the next generation to emerge in the late spring. There may be other buggies that do similar things though. I worry most about the Pitot tube.
Art
Sonex 509 taildragger
2700 cc Corvair
Our Australian mud wasps support the metric system so insist on 8mm holes up to 150mm deep.
Peter
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:05 am
by GraemeSmith
I thought the Oz wasps burned up if they tried to fly anywhere else in the world. Like the Mars Climate Orbiter…
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-climate-orbiter/
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:02 pm
by n502pd
Ha! Oh boy, thanks for the insight, guys! Yes, daubers are single minded. I have to report that I got not a single one to try my hotel nests. the wood blocks and the soda straws had no effect on their behavior. so much for my little experiment, other than I did learn mother nature has its…her… own agenda! BUT, not all was lost! I did find one little guy inside my wing tip one day, and could not get him out with compressed air. so short of actually opening up the wingtip, I sprayed ASF 50 anti corosion spray into the tip, liberaly, and watched it drip out. nothinbg hurt I thought, and no bug since then. I did the other tip, tail end entrances too. So maybe sprayng any entrance holes, into the interior, may well discourage the mudbugs from bothering me! I think I am done with my etomology experiments! Happy Hollidays to all, considering current affairs in DC!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:07 pm
by n502pd
509sx wrote:By-the-way, your mud dauber nest looks like it’s wired to explode on your command once populated, via that wire from your computer. Do I have this right?
Art
Nope! no such thing, but not a truely bad idea! the wires were there for hanging on the hinges of the aieleron at the outside ends. Just good old bailing wire, not safty wire!!
Re: Dirt Daubers
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:10 pm
by n502pd
509sx wrote:For a couple of years we have built nesting boxes for mason bees, aka mud daubers. They like their holes 5/16" in diameter, and up to 6" deep. They pack in food and eggs for the next generation to emerge in the late spring. There may be other buggies that do similar things though. I worry most about the Pitot tube.
Art
Sonex 509 taildragger
2700 cc Corvair
I keep forgetting to read all the replys tonight! I agree with the covers for pitot tube for sure, and dont for get to use some sort of cover for the crankcase vent, and the fuel tank vent, both of which i have addressed