
As we approach the dog days of Summer, many homeowners are being made aware of a pest they haven't seen for a year. They may notice big clumps of dirt around their yard or the fact that what emerged from the yard are huge wasps!
The pest in question is the Cicada Killer, Specius speciosus. This wasp emerges in late Summer and can cause significant damage in the areas where their burrows are made. As scary as they appear, with the males being about 1.5 inches long and the females about 2.5 inches long. The males will aggressively defend their territory and will fly towards anything that moves into their area. Fortunately they are unable to sting. The larger females are able to sting but it takes a lot to get one to sting you. You would have to hold it and squeeze, step on it, or have one caught in your clothing.
The female catches and stings cicadas. The cicada is paralyzed but not killed by the sting. The female then buries the cicada in her burrow. She will lay a male egg with a single cicada, while female eggs get multiple cicadas (due to the size difference in the sexes).

The cicada killer is a tough pest to control. Some methods of control include the treatment of the burrows and direct treatment of the adults. The length of time that they are active is relatively short and they do serve as a natural control for cicadas, which can damage trees.
Pictures courtesy of North Carolina State University and Texas A&M University




