Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp Facts & Information

What You Can Do

Since these insects are not likely to sting, the homeowner may elect to apply an insecticidal dust in and around the burrow entrance when first noticing cicada killer activity in the soil. When choosing to use insecticides, always read and carefully follow the product’s label directions. If there is a heavy population located in a sensitive public area, the best thing to do is contact your pest management professional for their service.

What Orkin Does

Your local Orkin Pro is trained to help manage eastern cicada killer wasps and similar pests. Since every building or home is different, your Orkin Pro will design a unique treatment program for your situation.

Orkin can provide the right solution to keep eastern cicada killer wasps in their place…out of your home, or business.

Appearance

• Characteristics: People often mistake European hornets for cicada killers.

• Body: The abdomen, the portion of the body immediately behind the insect’s “thread-waist,” is black with yellow markings on three segments. Their six legs are pale red to orange and the wings are a shaded brown color.

• Size: Adults are very large, approximately 2 inches long. Males of this wasp species are two times smaller than females.

Diet

Cicada killer larvae feed on cicadas and other insects. Adults will feed on flower nectar, fermented sap from trees, and other large plants in their habitat.

Habitat

Since cicada killers don’t live in colonies and they build their nests underground, they are considered solitary wasps. The burrow may seem pretty simple on the surface, but there is a lot of construction done below ground. The burrow is dug about a foot deep with cells for the eggs that will become the next generation.

Other than seeing a cicada killer, which is an awesome, somewhat daunting site, the presence of excavated soil in the shape of a “U” at the burrow entrance means a construction project is in progress. Some of the likely burrowing sites are:

• Edges of concrete slabs

• Golf course sand traps

• Lawns

• Sandy areas around playground equipment

• Sparsely vegetated slopes

Life Cycle

Larvae

The cicada killer’s life cycle begins as a grub-like larva that has spent the winter in the protection of the burrow dug by the female wasp the previous year. In the spring, the grub changes into the pupal stage, which is then followed by the emergence of adults in the early summer or late spring.

Adults

After adults emerge, the female feeds, mates, and sets out making burrows to house her offspring. Upon completion of the cells, the female begins hunting for cicadas or other insects that become food for the larva in each cell.

Egg Laying

Once she finds the prey, she stings and paralyzes it, flies back to the burrow, and lays one egg on the prey insect. After egg laying, the female pushes the prey into each egg chamber and seals the chamber. In about 2-4 days the egg hatches and the newly hatched larva feeds on the prey for about 1-2 weeks. After feeding is completed, the larva builds a silk cocoon and prepares to overwinter.

Lifespan

There is only one generation of cicada killers each year. After mating, the males die. The females die after completing their work laying eggs and providing food for the eggs that will hatch into larvae.