GREENSBORO, N.C. — Cicada killer wasps are big and bright. They would likely freak you out and hearing the name alone doesn't help. But no matter how big, bad and ugly they look, the cicada killer wasps are not after you. Just like their name says, they only kill cicadas.
"They're big and they've got some aggressive-looking colors on them," says Jordan Myers, Regional Manager at McNeely Pest Control. "But they don't bother humans."
While we've been hearing more about them recently, cicada killers aren't new. They pop up every summer as cicadas come around. They're bigger because they carry dead cicadas back to their underground burrows. They lay their eggs on them for their offspring to eat once they hatch.
If you see one, it won't likely sting you.
"The only somebody's really going to be stung by one is if they grab a female, the males don't have a stinger," Myers says. "If they actually grab one or if they step on one, they could potentially sting somebody."
Just to make that last part clear, the males don't even have a stinger.
So, they won't sting you, because we know better. A child or a pet won't, so keep an eye out for them in your yard. Cicada killers look for bare ground, so keeping your grass pretty thick is a good way to keep them away.
"You don't want like bare ground, that's kind of a little bit more attractive to them to start nesting in the area," he explains.
Myers says July is when they get most calls for cicada killers, which makes sense given that summer or annual cicadas emerge this time of year.
If you have a problem with cicada killers in your yard, call a pest control service to clear them out.
