‘Cicada killers’ article in San Marcos paper...

[Mike Quinn]

Published: July 29, 2009 10:42 am 

‘Cicada killers’ big but not bad

If you find yourself dodging some Texas-sized wasps whenever you step outside in recent weeks, don’t panic.

Many folks are seeing the large wasps flying low over their yards this time of year.

These dive bombers are usually accompanied by holes in the yard or flower beds that are surrounded by small piles of dirt.

These wasps are cicada killers, and while they are big, they aren’t really so bad, experts with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service say.

Cicada killers are about one-and-a-half inches long with a reddish-brown head and thorax and an abdomen that is black with yellow markings. Wings have a rusty tinge.

The males can be aggressive and buzz near people, but males are unable to sting. Females are capable of stinging but are rarely aggressive towards humans or animals.

Females dig burrows in the ground and use these burrows as nesting areas. Females will sting and paralyze cicadas, take them back to the burrow and then lay an egg upon it. When the egg hatches, the larvae feed upon the cicada provided.

Cicada killers usually do not warrant any control methods, experts say. They are actually beneficial insects that help to reduce populations of cicadas. Those who feel they must do something to manage them can sprinkle insecticidal dust around the opening of the burrow.

For more information, contact Wizzie Brown, Extension Program Specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, at 854.9600 or ebr...@ag.tamu.edu.

For more information on insects, check out my blog at http://www.urban-ipm.blogspot.com.

http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/local/local_story_210114250.html