The Cicada (Killers) Are Coming!

Actually, they’re already here. Actually, they never left.
You might be wondering what in the heck I’m talking about. Have you ever seen a wasp the size of a hummingbird? Well, almost that big. They sure sound like hummingbirds when they fly near you. Those are cicada killer wasps. As you can imagine, cicadas don’t like these big, scary looking wasps. The name probably gave it away, but cicada killers kill cicadas. Actually, they inject paralyzing poison into the cicada, drag the cicada underground into their nearly foot deep burrow. Over the winter, the baby cicada killers enjoy munching on the cicada.
If you have seen any of these monster wasps lately, don’t be alarmed. If you see small piles of dirt in your yard, usually in sunny areas, with a half inch hole next to the dirt pile, you likely have found a cicada killer burrow. They actually only show themselves for a few weeks during late July – late August. During this time they find a mate, lay their eggs, drag some unsuspecting cicadas into their burrow, then they die. The biggest fear people have of wasps is getting stung. Cicada killer wasps are huge, which must mean a larger stinger and a more painful sting, right? No. Male cicada killers have no stinger at all. Besides, they’re only interested in finding a female to mate with. (Sounds like a couple of my old college buddies!) Female cicada killers do have stingers, but they just aren’t aggressive toward humans. You’d have to try REALLY hard to get stung by a cicada killer. Or be really unlucky.