Cicade killers in Bradley Beach

Challenge

A frantic customer called in reporting "humongous yellow jackets all over her backyard.” Our knowledgeable Customer Service Representative, Sheryl, informed the customer that it sounded like cicada killers, not yellow jackets, and not to be frightened. Although these stinging insects have an intimidating name, at least to cicadas, they are mild-mannered with respect to people. These solitary wasps are not aggressive, and do not have the nest-guarding instinct of bees, yellow jackets, or hornets. You can walk through areas where they are active, and you will be pretty much ignored. They focus their lives on digging underground burrows and paralyzing the poor cicadas that serve as food for their grub-like larvae. Only the females have stingers, and they are so occupied burrowing and killing cicadas, they don’t have time for people. The stinger-less males may be territorial and hover around a trespasser, but its all buzz and no bite.

I was dispatched to assess the pest issue. When I arrived I immediately saw large piles of sand throughout the property. That was all I needed to see. Sheryl was absolutely correct: the customer’s yard was invested by a large number of cicada killers. I explained to the customer that female cicada killers dig extensive tunnels where their young will be raised, displacing several pounds of soil in the process. Needless to say, with managed turf this can turn into an unsightly mess, and the soil accumulations can smother grass.

Sometimes, skunks may dig up areas that have been extensively tunneled by the wasps to feed on cicadas and wasp larvae. Also, on occasion, this digging can cause property damage, such as destabilizing a brick patio laid on sand. These are all instances when control is needed and the wasp population must be eliminated.

Cicada killers seek out well-drained, light-textured soils in full sunlight that are near trees harboring cicadas. They especially like to dig in the loose soil in vegetable gardens, flower beds, lawns, and patio edges. Burrowing at the base of a plant can disrupt its root system. If only a few plants are affected, drenching the area around their bases with water is probably the best approach. Because these wasps avoid wet soil, they may choose to abandon the site. Also, watering the plants thoroughly will settle soil back around the roots, giving them a chance to survive. However, do not drench soil around plants with an insecticide mix; it may damage the roots and/or result in a residue in the plant. It is also common to find cicada killers burrowing in sandy areas on playgrounds or in golf course sand traps. If practical to do so, keep these areas wet or regularly churn the sand to discourage wasps from establishing their tunnels.

As I told this customer, although this particular type of wasp can wreck havoc with your lawn, unlike yellow jackets, they are not aggressive and you don’t have to worry about painful stings. Of course, your pet cat or dog may try to catch one of these wasps, but after one time, they learn a painful lesson that cicada-killer catching is not a fun game.

Solution

I applied a dust application to all the burrows and explained to the homeowner that within two weeks these wasps that took over her lawn would be gone. Another happy customer.