Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp

HYMENOPTERA
Order Hymenoptera encompasses Ants, Bees, and Wasps. About 18,000 types reside in North Amerca (excluding Mexico). Like other insects, they have chewing mouth parts for breaking down food sources. Ants can deliver bites through their mandibles while Bees and Wasps sting to repel threats and subdue prey. The order typically operates during the warm summer months across Tennessee. Bees are an utterly important part of the state's ecosystem, eating pollen and nectar to help raise their young - Bee by-products are essential in many human products and their pollinating action serves many other purposes. While Bees and Wasps live in carefully constructed nests, the social Ant survives in colony made up of networked tunnels. The furry Bumble Bee is not aggressive by nature though disturbing an in-ground nest of Yellow Jacket wasps will be a mistake made only once!

Common Name: "Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp"
Other Names: "Common Blue Dirt-Dauber Wasp"
Scientific Name: Chalybion californicum

TAXONOMIC BREAKDOWN:
The Taxonomic Breakdown is the scientific way to categorize a partocular insect species from its largest group (Animalia) to its smallest (variable). The Genus and Species categorizations taken together make up the species' scientific name shown above, in this case Chalybion californicum.

Kingdom: Animalia

 Phylum: Arthropoda

  Class: Insecta

   Order: Hymenoptera

    Family: Sphecidae

     Genus: Chalybion

      Species: californicum

The Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp is also known by these other names:

Common Blue Dirt-Dauber Wasp

The Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp has been identified by site users by the following descriptors:

large    black    blue    wings    winged    flying    outdoors    sting    shiny    abdomen    antenna    purple

The general likelihood of encountering this insect based on a given month of the year in the state of Tennessee. Generally, the best sighting months are June through August with peak occurring in July.

Below is a representation of the 'smallest-small' and 'largest-large' sizes commonly associated with the Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp. Due to monitor differences, sizes may not be exact on your particular screen. Conversions to millimeters are provided for convenience.

Below you will find the colors most commonly associated with the Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp. Both Primary and Secondary colors are represented in the showcase. Due to monitor differences, colors may not be exact representations.

The Common Blue Mud Dauber Wasp can be found in the following Tennessee counties:

Anderson; Bedford; Benton; Bledsoe; Blount; Bradley; Campbell; Cannon; Carroll; Carter; Cheatham; Chester; Claiborne; Clay; Cocke; Coffee; Crockett; Cumberland; Davidson; De Kalb; Decatur; Dickson; Dyer; Fayette; Fentress; Franklin; Gibson; Giles; Grainger; Greene; Grundy; Hamblen; Hamilton; Hancock; Hardeman; Hardin; Hawkins; Haywood; Henderson; Henry; Hickman; Houston; Humphreys; Jackson; Jefferson; Johnson; Knox; Lake; Lauderdale; Lawrence; Lewis; Lincoln; Loudon; Macon; Madison; Marion; Marshall; Maury; McMinn; McNairy; Meigs; Monroe; Montgomery; Moore; Morgan; Obion; Overton; Perry; Pickett; Polk; Putnam; Rhea; Roane; Robertson; Rutherford; Scott; Sequatchie; Sevier; Shelby; Smith; Stewart; Sullivan; Sumner; Tipton; Trousdale; Unicoi; Union; Van Buren; Warren; Washington; Wayne; Weakley; White; Williamson; Wilson.