A friend you didn't know you had

[ImStillMags Mags]

Hello. I’m the Mud Dauber. Sorry about the "ugly" dirt tubes I’m building on your siding.

I know it looks like I’m starting a colony, but I’m a solitary architect. I don't have a hive to defend, which means I’m almost never aggressive. You could walk right past me, and I wouldn't care. I’m busy hunting.

I stuff each one of these mud tubes with 20-30 paralyzed spiders.

My favorite prey? Black Widows and Brown Recluses. I am a specialist at finding the dangerous spiders that hide in your woodpiles and eaves. I paralyze them, put them in my mud "pantry," and lay an egg.

What to do:

If the nest is in a spot where it won't be bumped, just leave it. I’m providing free, 24/7 spider control for your patio. Once the holes appear in the mud, I’m gone for the season. You can scrape the dry mud off then.

I’m sorry I look intimidating.

But your porch is a Black Widow-free zone because of me