“The first thing any comedian does on getting an unscheduled laugh is to verify the state of his buttons.” W.C. Fields
While bringing our slide out in for a short move, it was about an inch short of retracting completely. Great. Just what we need. A general inspection revealed that mud daubers might be the problem.
So now I need to get down and dirty. Hmmmmm. Don’t really want to crawl under there but a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.
Aha. Mud Daubers. I knew it.
There they are. I could only find these 2 but they could be enough of an obstruction to hinder the slide. I know they can have a negative effect on the operation of air conditioners and refrigerators. They are about to go to that big mud nest in the sky.
After I destroyed them with a hammer I carefully examined the remains. There are 3 species of Mud Daubers and one of them, the Blue Mud Dauber, captures Black Widow Spiders to use as food for their young. The spiders are kept alive for that purpose. Therefore, one must be careful when handling the darn things. Noticed remains of something but probably not Black Widow spider’s.
Black and yellow mud dauber on the left. They can sting but generally are not aggressive. If you want more info on these creatures, check out the following link. Black Widow spider on the right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_dauber
Keep in mind that if something on the outside of your rv with moving parts quits working…….it might just be a mud dauber nest.
“Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff.” Stephen Wright
Texas Heat 
They sound dangerous
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For the past several weeks we have had mud daubers gather under an eve
of our porch in the evening. During the day they are absent. There are at least
30+ and increasing daily! They’re non-aggressive so far. I have read up on them
and I am not concerned about any danger. Our pest control professionals say there has. Even an increase in spiders this year, however I have not ever seen black widow spiders around my home. I am unvcertain if the color of the insect is either iridescent black or blue. I don’ want to kill them if they are beneficial but their population is growing under my eve and no nests to be found. Any advise?
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A free lunch. That has to be a first. Suggest you bookmark the following link as that will always get you to the newest post. https://bounderrv.wordpress.com/
I can’t promise any more free lunches but will try to get a chuckle out of you.
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Excellent read. I just passed this onto a buddy who was doing some research on that. He actually bought me lunch as I found it for him! Therefore let me rephrase: Thank you for lunch! I have bookmarked your web page: https://bounderrv.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/mud-daubers/ and will check back often. Thanks for the great article!
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Bob- Yikes! Yet another thing in Texas to watch out for. Hey, do you know if they eat mice, too? I might recruit a few for under my sink if they do! 😉
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One thing I’ve learned with this post is that most people did not know about the Black Widow thing. For that reason alone, I’m glad I put that info out there.
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I had no idea about the black widow thing! Thanks! One more mouse down. None so far tonight!
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I never knew the BW thing…but always appreciated most wasp, including our Daubers…thanks
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Great info….. I did not know this…… sitting unlevel will also halt closing the slide. Had no idea about the black widow thing…. I have more respect !!
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Shirlene………..Be careful with mud Dauber nests. It might contain Black Widow spiders.
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Thank you so much for this bit of advice. I had no idea! I’ll be sure to tell Bob since he will be the one climbing under and getting down & dirty 😀
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Most people do not know about mud daubers and black widow spiders. I assure it is true.
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I think Mud Dauber’s sister Pam was Mindy on Mork and Mindy.
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This makes me think, “a little dauber will do ya.” If this makes you say, “huh?” Then I will follow up with an explanation. 😉
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Quick…………………………….someone call 911.
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They’re coming to take me away! Call them off!
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