CICADA KILLER CONTROL

   This article is about CICADA KILLER control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   This article is about the large wasp known
as the CICADA KILLER. You will learn a brief
biology of this wasp, how and why it is a 
nuisance around the home and how to control
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   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.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO OF A CICADA KILLER

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. Next they will drag
the cicada down into 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.

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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 useone 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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