Finding piles of dirt in your yard and having large flying insects buzzing around could be annoying and frightening. These could be signs of cicada killer wasps and you might want to get rid of them.
To get rid of cicada killer wasps, pour a lethal substance down their nest. To stop them from returning to your yard, keep it planted and watered so they won’t have an easy time making a new nest.
Luckily, cicada killer wasps aren’t dangerous to people. You still might want to get rid of them though, and this article will explain the best techniques I’ve learned for doing so from my years as a pest control professional.
You might also be interested in reading these two related articles “Carpenter Bee Signs and Identification” and “How To Get Rid Of Hornets & Wasps“.
Characteristics For Identifying Cicada Killer Wasps
Cicada Killers (ground digger wasps) are solitary creatures that appear during the summer. Cicada killers live all over the world and several species live in North America.
These flying insects can grow up to two inches long and can seem menacing but are not aggressive like other wasps that tend to live in colonies. They pollinate plants and are considered beneficial.
An adult cicada killer mostly eats flower nectar. These solitary wasps don’t defend their nests like the smaller and more social yellow jackets.
Cicada Killer Description
Eastern cicada killer wasps average from half an inch to two inches long. They have brownish robust wings and hairy, black and reddish areas on their middle sections. Their back sections are reddish brown to black with light yellow stripes.
The cicada killer is often mistaken for other hornets and wasps like the yellow jacket or European wasp. Females are slightly larger than males on average, but both are some of the biggest wasps in North America.
It is difficult to tell any of the different types of cicada killers apart. On that note, you can imagine that the cicada killer you see is the species native to your region. The different types of cicada killer wasps in North America are:
- Sphecius speciosus (Eastern Cicada Killer)-Lives in the Eastern U.S.A., Ontario, Canada, Mexico and Central America.
- Sphecius convallis (Pacific Cicada Killer) -Lives in the Western U.S.A. and Mexico.
- Sphecius grandis (Western Cicada Killer) – Lives in the Western U.S.A., Mexico and Central America.
- Sphecius hogardii (Caribbean Cicada Killer)- Lives in Florida and the Caribbean islands.
Life Habits of Cicada Killers
Cicada killer/digger wasps get their name from their behavior of digging nests, then hunting cicadas and dragging them under the ground to feed their young. They prefer to dig their burrows in sunny places with sandy, soft and well-drained soil.
The female cicada killer digs the nest as deep as ten inches and can go another six inches horizontally. She may remove as much as 100 cubic inches of earth and pile it outside the nest. Furthermore, you can recognize cicada killers in your yard by the U-shaped piles of dirt outside the nests.
Cicada killers sting and paralyze cicadas while they feed on deciduous trees, acting as a natural control of the cicada population. Therefore, this wasp’s removal of cicadas from the ecosystem is beneficial to the deciduous trees.
Do Cicada Killers Sting?
Only female cicada killers can sting, but they rarely sting humans. On top of that, people who have been stung by cicada killers report their pain level as .5, even less painful than a bumblebee sting.
The female cicada killer only wants to use her stinger for immobilizing prey. Correspondingly, she will only sting a human if stepped on, grabbed with a bare hand or caught in clothing.
The stingless male cicada killer aggressively defends his perch from other males but doesn’t attack humans. Males may fly near to you but are most likely seeing if you are a female cicada killer and will fly away as soon as it realizes that you are not.
Ways To Get Rid Of Cicada Killers
If you have just a few cicada killers to get rid of, you can most likely eliminate them yourself. An infestation of more than five wasps could need the help of a professional.
Getting Rid Of Cicada Killers Naturally
Natural methods of eliminating cicada killers are safe for you, your pets and your children. This natural method is simple and effective.
What you’ll need:
- Sturdy bowl
- Boiling water
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Hand and eye protection from the hot water
Step 1: Identify the cicada killer burrows you want to destroy. Look for mounds of dirt that look like ant hills with no ants and a penny-sized opening.
Step 2: Mark the burrows with something you can see at night like a bright-colored stake, white plastic silverware or a small flag.
Step 3: At night, when the cicada killers are most likely to be in their nest, boil two cups of water per nest in a kettle.
Step 4: Bring your boiling water and bowl out to the cicada killer burrows using your headlamp to locate them.
Step 5: Quickly pour the boiling water down the nest hole, being careful not to splash yourself.
Step 6: As fast as possible, cover the hole with the heavy bowl.
Step 7: Leave the bowl there for a few days and then remove it. If the boiling water didn’t kill the cicada killer wasp, it would be trapped under the bowl and die from the heat of the sun.
Using Household Chemicals To Get Rid Of Cicada Killer Wasps
Instead of boiling water, you can pour household chemicals down a cicada killer burrow to kill it. You still might want to place a heavy bowl over the top to ensure the wasp can’t escape your assassination.
Household chemicals that can be used to get rid of cicada killer wasps include:
- Bleach – Chlorine-based bleach will kill the cicada killer and is pretty safe to use. This treatment is not guaranteed to kill the eggs though.
- Ammonia – Dumping one cup of ammonia down the cicada killer nest hole will kill the insect. It might not kill the eggs.
- Boric Acid – This is a less common chemical to have around the house, but it might work best. Pouring boric acid down the cicada killer burrow will kill the wasp and the eggs.
Getting Rid Of Cicada Killer Wasps With Pesticides
If the less intense methods don’t work to eliminate your cicada killer wasps, you might have to resort to pesticides. Anytime you use pesticides it is critical to protect yourself, anyone else who might come near the pesticides and any animals you don’t want to harm.
Wasp Spray: There are several brands of wasp or hornet spray that shoot up to 25 feet. You can attempt to spray the cicada killer wasps while they are flying, or wait until night and shoot the spray down the burrow.
Cypermethrin: You can buy liquid cypermethrin or a powdered type that you mix with water. Pour this pesticide down the cicada killer wasp burrow at night and they will die.
Pyrethrin: This pesticide is used by many professional exterminators. It usually comes in a powdered form that you can spread around the cicada killer’s nest hole.
Preventing Cicada Killer Wasps From Returning
To stop cicada killer wasps from building a nest in your yard, keep it planted with grass and keep it watered and healthy. Cicada killers prefer loose, dry soil, therefore keeping your lawn well watered will make the roots strong and the wasps will find a better place to make their nest.
Allowing your lawn to grow longer in July and August could also help to deter cicada killers. If you don’t want to plant grass, any plants will work as long as you don’t leave bare soil for the cicada killers to burrow into.
Life Cycle Of Cicada Killer Wasps
There is one generation of cicada killer wasps each year. Cicada killer wasps emerge as adults from their nest in July and soon mate. Then the female digs the burrow, hunts cicadas to stock the nest with, lays eggs and finally dies by mid-September.
Eggs hatch two or three days after being laid, then the larva burrows into the paralyzed cicada and feeds on it for about ten days. Next, the larva weaves a silken cocoon and shrinks to wait the winter out. When the weather warms enough the cicada killer comes out of the cocoon and enters the pupal stage before emerging as an adult.
It’s best to get rid of cicada killer wasps before they have a chance to lay eggs. Try eliminating the cicada killers in July or as soon as you see their burrows.
Should I Kill Cicada Killer Wasps?
Cicada killer wasps are beneficial pollinators and help keep the numbers of cicadas in check. If you care about the environment and the ecosystem, you should not kill cicada killers.
On the other hand, these flying insects could make you afraid of going out into your yard or make your property look ugly with their piles of dirt. If these behaviors make life worse, you might want to kill the cicada killers.