The scientific name for a dirt dauber is Sceliphron caementarium.

That depends on which wasp you are talking about. Yellowjackets and hornets and paper and potter and mason wasps and are in the family Vespidae, digger wasps, mud daubers, and most solitary wasps are in the family Sphecidae, and the little chunky sand wasps you see on a baseball field are in the family Crabronidae.

Not really.

Apoidea is a superfamily within the hymenoptera group which includes the sphecoid wasps (ampulicidae, crabronidae, heterogynaidae, and sphecidae) and bees (andrenidae, apidae, colletidae, dasypodaidae, halctidae, megachilidae, megonomiidae, melittidae, and stenotritidae).

Anthophila is an unranked taxonomic term which includes the bee group as above.

There are nearly 300 types of wasps worldwide.

The most common of these include:

* Fig wasps - agaonidae * Cuckoo wasps - Chrysididae * Sand wasps (Cicada killer wasp) - Crabronidae * Gall wasps - Cynipidae * Velvet ants - (mutillidae * Fairyflies - Mymaridae * Spider wasps - Pompilidae * Digger wasps - Sphecidae * Flower wasps - Tiphiidae * Honets - Vaspidae * Paper wasps * Pollen wasps * Yellowjackets

The mud daubers have burrowed into the side of a small hill, next to a fairly busy sidewalk in a nice neighborhood, where kids play and where the grass needs mowing right where they are. I've tried a wasp and hornet spray from the local supermarket. However, this morning they were still flying around, although a bit fewer. They are actually in the dirt on this hill. I spray into the hole as best I can,

but, it does not appear to be helping really. Do you have any suggestion?

Please e-mail me: cybilyorke@hotmail.com.

Thank you so very much!

Cybil