mud dauber

noun

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

Origin of mud dauber

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mud dauber

Historical Examples of mud dauber

Pelopæus, the Mud-dauber, is now building its earthen cells, plastering them on old rafters and stone walls.
Our Common Insects
Alpheus Spring Packard
You break down the mud-dauber wasp's nest from among the rafters of some building.
The Library of Work and Play: Outdoor Work
Mary Rogers Miller
He patiently watched the mud-dauber going about her house building.
The Library of Work and Play: Outdoor Work
Mary Rogers Miller
As she swung thus, self-possessed and at ease, suddenly a mud-dauber pounced upon her.
In the Open
Stanton Davis Kirkham
But in Marions room there is a beam, and against that beam there is the nest of a mud-dauber.
The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 1
Elizabeth Bisland

British Dictionary definitions for mud dauber

mud dauber

noun

any of various wasps of the family Sphecidae, that construct cells of mud or clay in which they lay their eggs and store live insects as food for the developing larvaeSee also digger wasp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012