CICADA KILLERS



Cicada killers are the among the largest of the wasp family. They are yellow and black striped and grow to be over two inches long.

Cicada killers will dig their nests throughout the yard, mulch and sand areas and will generally frighten anyone who sees them. Like most wasps, they can sting. They use their stinger to sedate and paralyze cicada’s. Cicada killers will hunt cicadas during the summer months when populations are active. They will find a cicada, sting it and bring it back to it’s nest. This short video shows a female Cicada Killer in action.

Once the cicada has been pumped full of toxins and rendered helpless, it will be brought back to the burrow where the paralyzed cicada will serve as food for the young cicada killers. Most egg burrows will have one or two cicadas for every egg which is laid. Nests usually only have one egg chamber, but when populations are high, cicada killers will dig extra chambers or extra nests to accommodate reproduction capabilities. This will vary from year to year as the cicada population varies. Old folklore states that cicadas are active every 7 or 12 years, but in fact some will emerge every year - depending on the region. Cicada killer populations will vary depending on the hatch or release of cicadas. In general, the more cicadas, the more cicada killers.

Cicada killers are a nuisance around the home because the dig large nests which are unsightly. These nests are sometimes thought to be from an animal because they are so big.

Cicada Killers will spend their days foraging and if you watch the nest, you may catch them entering or leaving. Since they are so large, most people are petrified of them. In fact, cicada killers are generally not aggressive, but don’t irritate them. Stay clear of their nests and be sure to keep children away from them as well. Since the nest will not go away on it’s own and will probably be active from year to year, it is best to treat them as soon as you see it developing. There are several ways to do the treatment and the method you choose largely depends on how comfortable you feel doing the work as well as the cost factor.

If you have one or two nests and are only seeing one or two adults, control should be easy. Use CB WASP FREEZE for a quick knockdown of adults as they are entering or leaving a nest. CB Wasp Freeze uses a combination of active ingredients which will work on a wasp even as large as cicada killers. Be careful of less expensive over-the-counter aerosols. Many such formulations are not strong enough for this type of wasp. Once the adult has been sprayed and is dead, watch the nest for a few days. If no activity is noted, you have probably solved the problem. If you see new activity the following year, you will need to go to the second treatment option to insure they don’t come back.

The second treatment option is to use liquid concentrates. You may want to employ this method if you are afraid of treating with Wasp Freeze because you don’t want to get close to the nest or if you have several nests that need to be treated. Liquid treatments should be done at night so there is little risk of conflict with adults. Liquid treatments are cheaper to do than using Wasp Freeze and will enable you to treat large infestations economically. More importantly, liquid treatments will provide some residual in the hole so you may be able to kill newly hatched or developing larva. This could prove important when dealing with chronic infestations. The best way to treat with liquids is to use one of our SPRAYERS. Take the tip off the extension so the material will flow like a water faucet. It is important to be able to have a high rate of product flooding the hole. This insures it will sink deep down to the egg chambers. Use CYPERMETHRIN and SPREADER STICKER mixed together. Cypermethrin will provide a residual for a month or more. The Spreader Sticker allows the treatment to penetrate the adults quicker which kills them before they know what is happening. This eliminates the possibility of being stung. Since nests can be large with more than one egg chamber, you should treat with one to two quarts per nest. This insures proper coverage and distribution throughout the chambers. Since most active areas have several nests, liquid treatments are more economical than using Wasp Freeze. Additionally, you can get one of the Quart Sprayers featured on our sprayer page and by mixing some of the Cypermethrin and Spreader Sticker together create your own quick kill formulation. This will prove to go a lot further than the aerosol, work just about as well and can be kept around for quick access.

If you are unsure where the nest is located, there is a third way you can treat. You will need to see where they are active. Try to narrow the area down to the smallest section of turf that you can. You can do this by watching where you see them enter or leave mulch and plant areas. Cicada killers will have specific flight paths they will use to enter and fly around nests. Unfortunately, the actual hole is sometimes masked and covered and hard to see.

If you are confronted with such a situation, you will need to do identify a 10′ x 10′ area that you think they are living. Using the Cypermethrin listed above, you will need to broadcast it over the 100 sq/ft where you think they are nesting. You will need to use a gallon of material for every 100 sq/ft you treat. This method is more of a shotgun approach and will not kill adults immediately. It usually takes several days for them to die, but they will be exposed to small amounts of the cypermethrin over time as they travel in and out of their nest which will eventually kill them. Watch treated areas. Within two weeks, all activity should stop.

If you still see them flying into the ground, you will need to treat again. Though this method does not work as well as treating the nest directly with the pump sprayer, you will be able to get control. The key here is volume. Be sure to use enough Cypermethrin to insure it penetrates where they are active. Only they will it kill them. The best way to apply the Cypermethrin is with a DIAL-A-MIX. This hose end type of sprayer is hooked to your garden hose and allows for heavy applications with the power and flow of your garden hose. Do the treatment at night which assures the adults will be in their nests. If any come out, don’t worry. They will be so disoriented they won’t be able to sting. Be sure to use the amount you have predetermined is necessary to cover the designated area. If properly done, they will die within a week. If you still see activity two weeks after treatment, treat again.

Remember that cicada killers late in the season have already laid eggs and it is highly likely that you will have some activity the following year. Once a good nesting area is located, adults will try to use such ground from year to year. Be persistent and watch carefully. The first few you see should be controlled to prevent large nests from ever forming. Cypermethrin will remedy the problem and apply it either way detailed above to get the best results.

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