PPDL Picture of the Week
August 17, 2020
Cicada Killers
Tim Gibb, Extension Entomologist, Purdue University
Huge
black and yellow wasps in parks, golf courses and back yards are receiving a
lot of publicity right now. These are
actually Cicada Killer wasps, and although they are intimidating, they very
seldom sting. Cicada killer wasps should
be considered beneficial because they kill potentially plant-damaging cicadas,
but they are also nuisance pests themselves if they occur around people. The
size of the wasp is intimidating enough but add to that the males annoying
habit of 'dive-bombing ' anything that comes into their territory - including
humans. The result is that they get
peoples attention quickly.
In most cases the wasps should just be left
alone as they likely will not sting and because of their beneficial cicada
predatory behavior. In those cases
where they cannot be ignored, using Carbaryl (Sevin) as a dust applied to the
burrow entrance has been shown to offer excellent control.