How To Get Rid Of Cicada Killer Wasps | Do-It-Yourself Pest Control

Cicada Killer Appearance

Cicada killers can be up to 1.5 inches long; males are a little smaller than females. It has a black abdomen with yellow markings and an orange tint to the wings.

Cicada Killer Wasps are often confused with hornets or European wasps. Cicada killers may look like European hornets or Bald-faced hornets, but the overall color pattern, size, and shape differ.

These huge wasps tend to leave people alone but it can be frustrating to have them flying around your home and garden.

Inspect

Cicada Killer Wasp Diet and Habits

The Cicada Killer Wasps will gravitate toward flowers, feeding on flower nectar. These wasps dig holes or burrows, preferably in soft, sandy, and well-drained soil.

You may commonly find cicada killer activity in golf course sand traps. One of their primary food sources is how these wasps got their name; Cicadas.

They seek out and hunt cicadas for food to raise their young.

The Female Cicada Killer

• For a few days to a couple of weeks, the female Cicada Killer will drag the paralyzed cicadas. The larvae will consume the live cicadas.

• A burrow may have up to 20 cells with 1-2 cicadas and one egg per cell.

• The egg hatches into larvae to feed on the Cicada.

• The larvae spin a cocoon afterward and enter a dormancy through the winter(overwinter) and pupate the following spring.

The male Cicada Killers are smaller and will aggressively defend their territory from other intruding males.

They may be found on sloped terrains, flower beds, patio edges, or sidewalks, and in the yard. The Cicada Killer Wasp stings Cicada (locusts) to paralyze them and feed them to the larvae.

Many of the developing larvae may come out as adults the following year, so the numbers increase year by year.

It is important to prevent and stop this cycle to get rid of Cicada Killers. An effective method for this is to use an insecticide granule.

Cicada Killer Wasp Nests

A pile of soil is typically found at the entrance of the burrow made by Cicada Killers. As much as 100 cubic inches of soil is brought to the surface as they make the tunnels/burrows.

A female will dig a burrow that can be up to 10 inches deep and extend another 6 inches horizontally.

The female Cicada Killers hunt for cicadas on the lower limbs of trees and tree trunks. The female will sting it and carry or drag it to the burrow.

Do Cicada Killers Sting?

The female Cicada Killer Wasp is equipped to sting and eject venom into cicadas to feed them to their larvae.

They will only sting humans if caught in clothing, or caught by your bare hands. They are content with simply digging their holes and hunting for cicadas.