Re: [CH] Painful peppers
Tom F. Bryant (tfbxgp@neto.com)
Tue, 15 Jun 1999 15:32:12 -0500
Scott writ:
> We have discovered a teeming wasp nest (mud dauber) in close proximity to
> the pepper garden, and probably cannot avoid provoking them.
>
> Any suggestions on eradication?
"Dirtdobbers" as we call them here in Texas, are highly beneficial critters.
They're not aggressive. Experts say they ain't gonna bother you unless,
maybe, you catch one in your hand. They're beneficial, like wasps, only a
lot friendlier. If you break open one of their mud houses, you may find a
live black widow spider, taken there and immobilized by the mother
dirtdobber for their young to feed on. The black widows are dirtdobber's
favorite prey, and food. If their houses don't look kinda like mud cigars,
stuck to your walls, they ain't dirtdobbers.
Tom