Summary: Cicada killer wasps are not as dangerous as their name sounds. Unless you're a cicada, that is. Cicada Killers a big, but generally not interested in humans.
Cicada Killers are big, and when insects are big they can be scary. The female Cicada Killer does have a stinger, but it rarely attacks people. Cicada Killers are solitary wasps that don't build elaborate hives or have castes of workers like honey bees. They hunt cicadas so that they can lay eggs on them, which will provide food for Cicada Killer larvae. They hunt cicadas using a long, venomous stinger which totally paralyzes the cicada. The female Cicada Killer flies back to her burrow carrying the cicada with her legs, which is fairly remarkable since the paralyzed cicada weighs twice as much as the Cicada Killer.
Cicada Killer wasps hunt cicadas that appear annually, not typically the kind that appear every thirteen or seventeen years. The life cycle of a Cicada Killer is synchronized to match the life cycle of annual cicadas. The adult Cicada Killer does not eat cicadas, but actually eats flower nectar or plant sap.
The egg of a Cicada Killer takes a day or two to hatch and larvae spend most of the year underground feeding on a storehouse of cicada corpses. Male Cicada Killer larvae are left with one cicada while female Cicada Killers are left with two, three, or occasionally even four cicadas to feed on. For this reason the female Cicada Killers are much larger than the males and in circumstances when a female Cicada Killer only receives one cicada to eat as a larva, the female will be much smaller and closer in size to a male Cicada Killer.
Female Cicada Killers kill about 100 cicadas during their life and produce about sixty or seventy new Cicada Killers. Cicada Killer larvae spend the fall and winter underground feeding on cicadas, growing larger, until they are ready to emerge as adult Cicada Killers in the late spring or early summer. Adult Cicada Killers do not survive the winter.
photo credit: Ronald Billings, Texas Forest Service
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Male Cicada Killers do not have stingers and do not hunt cicadas. Their primary goal in life is to mate with female cicadas. Much of a male's life is spent outside of a female Cicada Killer's burrow fighting with other male Cicada Killers for the right to mate with a female Cicada Killer. The larger the male, the more likely it will be successful. The males often fight with each other in mid-air, forming balls of battling Cicada Killers that have no control over their flight direction. This might be frightening to someone who encounters this behavior in the wild, but Cicada Killers will flee from humans when they are swatted at.
Cicada Killers are sometimes called sand hornets, although they are wasps, not hornets. They probably got the name because they build their burrows in dry, sandy soil. The female Cicada Killer wasps have specialized hind legs that are equipped with spines that can push dirt out of the burrow.
Cicada Killers are distributed across the US. If there is a Cicada Killer burrow that is in an obtrusive area you can clog the entrance to the burrow with a stick and the Cicada Killer will continue to bring cicada bodies to it for a while, and then give up to try a different location. Hopefully the new location will be somewhere out of the way.
Comments
waters
17 Aug 2008, 14:28
We have a ton of cicada's in our backyard. How do we get rid of them?
Ask The Exterminator
17 Aug 2008, 15:25
You don't! They are way too numerous to fight, so learn to live with them.
There are no specific treatments for controlling cicadas. The adults are
hatching from larvae that have grown from eggs that could have been laid as
many as seventeen years ago.
Although cicadas are large and ugly, they do little harm other than to
prune trees. Large cicada infestations leave many trees with dead tips.
Thousands of trees are affected, but little permanent harm is done.
It would be virtually impossible to locate all the cicada larvae buried in
the ground and destroy them before they hatch, so just learn to live with
it.
Natalie
24 Aug 2008, 09:59
I have a large group of Cicada Killers in a large pile of sand that I need
to spread in my horse arena. When I dig into the pile they start swarming
around the tractor. Your articles says they don't bother people but they
are very intimidating. They have holes all through this sand pile. Any idea
how to get rid of them?
Ask the Exterminator
24 Aug 2008, 16:26
I didn't say that Cicada Killers won't defend their nests. I said they
generally don't show aggression towards people. However, if you start
messing with their home, that's a whole different ballgame.
The adult Cicada Killers will die off as winter approaches, leaving the
eggs and larvae. If you cannot wait until they die off naturally you will
have to treat the sand pile to kill the insects. I would call a licensed
exterminator to inquire about having the pile of sand fumigated. They will
cover the sand pile and treat it with a dead gas. The gas leaves no
residue, so it will not be harmful to spread once the treatment has been
completed.
To keep wasps from reinfesting the sand pile I would suggest keeping it
covered with a tarp and weigh down the edges using sand socks.
rj
08 Oct 2008, 23:08
aperson i know told me you can pour gasoline in the holes and this will
kill any adult and eggs and that it worked for them is this a true
statement?
Ask the Exterminator
09 Oct 2008, 10:02
Gasoline will kill insects. It will also kill grass, leach into the soil
and poison sub-soil water, catch fire and do all sorts of other negative
things.
Gasoline is meant to run engines. It is not an insecticide, nor is it
labeled for pest control. Plus, at $4.00 a gallon, it is a lot more
expensive than a pesticide like boric acid.
Jerri
10 Mar 2009, 19:12
We have what I'm told larvae on our trees from the cicadas. I have, also,
been told that they will kill my trees. I've done some research and I'm
wondering how right this research is. It says to treat around the base of
the tree with BIFEN GRANULES and extra fertilizer and water. Does this
sound right to you? Or should I go another route? I have a young maple
and a young nectarine tree. Can you help?
Ask the Exterminator
11 Mar 2009, 15:49
Those cast-off shells on the trees are left by the emerging cicada nymphs,
not larvae.
The cicada uses its knife-like ovipositor to lay its eggs in the tender new
branches of trees. This incision may cause the very end of branches to die,
a process called "flagging". Some experts think this natural prunning
process actually is healthy for the tree.
The eggs hatch and the tiny nymphs fall to the ground where they burrow
into soil cracks and suck sap from tree roots for years before re-emerging
as adults. Pesticide granules will kill some of the nymphs, but certainly
not enough to dent the overall population of cicadas.
Mark Podhorzer
16 Mar 2009, 10:49
Every year during the first week of March a large number of mounds appear
in out lawn. We live in Atlanta. They look like ant hills, but I have
been told they are Cicada Killer Wasps. This year is the worst ever.
There must be at least one hundred mounds & it's killing our grass. No one
else in the neighborhood seems to have this problem. How do we get rid of
them for good.
Ask the Exterminator
30 Mar 2009, 17:02
You can dust the mounds with any pesticide dust formulation. Pros use a
duster at the end of an extension pole called a dust stick. They run about
$125 for the kit. If you try dusting, be sure to do it in the evening when
the wasps are in the night. Otherwise, call a pro.
jenny
19 May 2009, 17:01
We have what people have told us are cicada killer around our house. But
they look much much larger then the pictures above. However, they do
exhibit some of the behaviors described. Is there a way to know for sure
that it's not something else that could sting us?
Thanks
Ask the Exterminator
19 May 2009, 17:12
Cicada Killers are pretty large. That picture above has it lifting a full
size cicada, which is quite large.
Capture one and take it to any pest control company for an ID.
Kim Vornauf
27 Jun 2009, 01:21
We have ( early this year ! ) Cicada Killers that burrow by our front porch
and are rather frightening - I want to get rid of them as we enjoy evenings
on our porch , but we have a cat that I don't want exposed to any harmful
chemicals - your recommendation please - Perplexed in Kansas
Isobel
29 Jun 2009, 10:44
Why do the cicada wasps swarm during the day when cicadas only come out at
night? We can't sit out during the day because of the wasps but at night
when we hear the cicadas the wasps have turned in!! Explain please!
Nicole
30 Jun 2009, 22:47
I have the same problem! I live in an apartment upstairs and their nests
must be right under the stairs as they are constantly right at the bottom
where I have to walk every day! I know they aren't harmful but I have a
phobia of wasps and bees. This morning one of the males chased me to my
car and I thought I was gonna have a panic attack! I don't even want to
leave my apartment! The office says the exterminator is coming out in a
day or so but I don't even know if he will do anything. To me since it's a
common area that the 4 tenants share, it should be taken care of.
Julia
13 Jul 2009, 13:11
I have cicada killers that have burrow into the sand and silt in, around,
and throughout our stone patio. The silt and sand are systematically being
removed and I am afraid that the patio will become unsafe, at least around
the outer edges. Is there any way to get rid of them?
Ask the Exterminator
13 Jul 2009, 13:16
Treat each burrow hole with a pesticide spray labeled for wasps. Purchase a
product that has a straw applicator so you can stick the straw into the
hole to treat.
Kitty Nelson
29 Jul 2009, 11:40
My email is not so much a question but just my solution to rid the pests.
Has not worked entirely yet but I will prevail. I have a nest of cicada
killers in my front yard flower bed this year. Last year they were all
over the front yard but I continually sprayed the opening entrances with
household pest killer. This year I only have one mound that is hidden and
I can't see it to spray the entrance in my flower bed. They are very
numerous in this one mound and swarm all over in the morning and early
afternoon, then by around 3:00 p.m. they disappear. I'm assuming it's too
hot for them. I'm also assuming it's only the males swarming while the
female is out hunting. However there is one strange very large killer wasp
that acts like a sentinel on this one particular bush by the front door.
He likes to perch on it constantly and then perch on my knee if I sit out
on the porch. (Maybe he thinks I'm a sentinel too) I'm always out working
in my flowers. I'm really freaked out by these big creatures but they will
not keep me out of my yard and I have found their habits are really
interesting to watch. However, I don't think FedEx and UPS see any
interest in these wasps as they attempt to deliver packages here so I will
continue the battle of the big pests or call an exterminator. Why they
don't reside in the woods right behind our house is amazing to me where the
cicada's sing....might be because they have become social?
TL
07 Aug 2009, 16:34
I power spray my land every year in the spring. For the most part, I don't
see a lot of insects, but because you mentioned that the larve could still
exist within the burrow, what can I do to eradicate?
In the evening, I take hose and fill the holes with water up to the point
its flooded. I see the wasps leave the hole, but does it one kill off the
larve and how can I seal off their return?
Can I place boric acid into the hole and surrounding area, then plug it as
best as possible?
Ask the Exterminator
07 Aug 2009, 16:55
Dust the holes with Tempo 1% insecticide available online. That will kill
the adult. Once activity ceases, dust the hole again and close it. When the
larvae emerge the dust should kill them.
TL
08 Aug 2009, 11:44
followup question: in regards to rain or sprinkler system. If I apply the
insecticide, do it before it rains and suspend sprinkler irrigation or it
won't affect the powder application? Please advise. Thanks..>
Ask the Exterminator
08 Aug 2009, 16:38
Water will affect the powder. Pump the powder deep into the holes. Usually,
the tunnels make a turn exactly for the reason you mention. The angle
protects the interior from moisture.
Tracy
09 Aug 2009, 22:38
We have a wasp catcher in one of our trees and it has captured a type of
flying insect that resembles a wasp, but it is much larger and the coloring
is different. It has black and white bands on its body. I tried to find
something similar in appearance on the internet and the closet thing I
could find is a Cicada Killer. I live in North Idaho. Could it be a
Cicada Killer? I've never seen a wasp like this before.
Kitty Nelson
12 Aug 2009, 19:07
All of a sudden every one of the Cicada Killer Wasps have disappeared from
my yard. Why? I had at least 10 swarming around every morning. All I see
now is one big black hornet that has a nest also in the ground in my yard.
VH
18 Aug 2009, 13:37
I'm on a mission to rid my yard of these Cicada Killer Wasps. They really
are not a problem other than they kill the grass where they kick out the
dirt for their burrow. Little piles of dirt are everywhere! So, I bought
a butterfly net at the dollar store. I wrangle a wasp in the net, slap the
net to the ground and stomp on the wasp. I doubt if I'm making a dent in
the population but I have a challenge and some exercise :)
Carol Tarr
29 Aug 2009, 09:09
I saw a strange flying insect the other day and I can't identify it yet.
It had a wasp-looking body and long (at least 3 inches) wings that looked
like pieces of white opaque tape. I saw it flying around the yard - it was
quite large and captured my attention, then I witnessed it crawl into a
drain pipe, such as the outside drain pipe for central air conditioners.
Do you have any idea what type of insect this was?
