Mud Daubers!

S

Swede

New member
I am currently working on a 1967 Citabria that has not been flown in many years. I've probably removed about 40 pounds of mud dauber nests, and the nests in the wings are especially pesky. These critters tend to build their mud-ball nests on control cables, and both aileron control cables have big nests on them that are actually contacting the lower fabric. As the stick is moved right and left, you can hear the nests scraping. I have no doubt that they would eventually wear through, and they MUST be removed.

I'm having OK luck by popping the nests into small pieces, and using a vaccuum on the debris. My question: Is there any means of repelling these little beasties in the future? Completely sealing every single access point is simply not practical. Has anyone else encountered them to such a degree? Tips and hints are appreciated, both for control, and for cleansing my airplane of them - Thanks!
 
Yes there is a simple solution for the little pest.

Fly every day, that way they cant find your plane :lol:

Moth balls also work, put them in a little parts sack and tie it securely.
 
Thanks! As soon as the airplane is airworthy once more, it WILL be flown frequently. I've got a lot of work to do, with help from an A & P buddy. There is so much that needs to be done - it is a bit overwhelming at times.

I like the mothball idea. The wasps really seem to home in on the aileron bellcrank area. Post flight, it'd be easy to hang two bags of mothballs on the aileron pushrod, with two big REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT streamers on them.
 
I am in the DFW area also and always heard WD40 will repell them. Have you moved the plane to a different hangar? simply getting it out of the place where they were common would be first on my list. Had this happen to a friend's J-3 and he hung the wings on end and cut holes where they met the fuselage and dropped them out and vacuumed the rest, not saying you should do this and I hope you don't have as much.
 
I had them plug my pitot tube while camping in eastern oregon, Was bounding down the runway ready to rotate when I realized I didn't have any airspeed, too late to stop, plane flew anyway.
 
I haven't checked the effectivness myself, but I have HEARD that if you place a shallow pan filled with mud and an insecticide in the hanger, the little devils will do themselves in getting the mud for their nests. Of course, if you don't get rid of them, they are ridding your hanger of lots of spiders and bugs. :D
 
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