CICADA KILLER WASP LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
Cicada killer wasps are also known as cicada hawks, giant cicada killers, ground digger wasps and are sometimes referred to as sand hornets, although they are not hornets. Few insects can compare with the alarm caused by this wasp, which elicits a great deal of fear among people. There are a handful of cicada killer wasp species found in the United States. The eastern cicada killer wasp is the species found on Long Island, and its range extends westward to the Rocky Mountains. Eastern cicada killer wasps are also found in Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The cicada killer wasp is a large digger wasp with amber wings measuring approximately two inches in length. This solitary wasp has a hairy, black, and red thorax and a black and brown abdomen with three yellow band markings. Most of their head is red, and their six legs are a red-orange color. Females cicada killer wasps are larger than males, and both are amongst the largest wasps native to the Eastern United States. Adult cicada killer wasps feed on flower nectar.
CICADA KILLER WASP LIFE CYCLE - NASSAU COUNTY, LONG ISLAND
Cicada killer wasps are solitary wasps, and their habits are significantly different from that of social wasps, such as yellowjackets, paper wasps, bald-faced hornets, and European hornets. Female wasps use their stinger to paralyze their cicada prey rather than to defend their nests. Cicada killer wasps may nest in aggregations but do not live together in a hierarchical colony. Adult wasps and their burrows can be seen in lawns, gardens, flower beds, athletic fields, and Long Island golf courses during the summer months. Female wasps generally excavate their burrows, usually ten to twenty inches deep in well-drained, soft, sandy soils in full sun where vegetation is sparse. In digging a burrow, with a channel of about half an inch, the female cicada killer wasp dislodges the ground with her jaws and, using her rear legs, pushes loose dirt behind her as she backs out of the tunnel. The cicada wasp's rear legs are furnished with specialized spines that help her move the soil behind her. The surplus soil expelled from the tunnel forms a mound with a trench through it at the burrow entrance. As much as six inches of soil may be brought to the surface as tunnels are constructed, which can be an eyesore and smother the lawn. Following the formation of a nest chamber in the burrow, female cicada killer wasps capture cicadas, paralyzing them with a sting. After disabling a cicada, the female cicada killer wasp carries the bug to her burrow. Female wasps can predetermine the sex of their larvae. The wasp will lay male eggs on a single cicada, but female eggs are given two or occasionally three cicadas; this is because the female cicada killer wasp is double the male's size and must, be provisioned with more food. The wasp eggs hatch in one or two days, and the cicadas serve as a source of food for the developing cicada killer wasp larvae. The cicada killer larvae complete their development in about two weeks. Overwintering takes place as a mature larva inside a silk cocoon. Complete transformation to an adult wasp occurs in the nest cell during the spring and lasts twenty-five to thirty days. The new adult cicada killer wasps emerge from their burrows during the summer, usually beginning in late June or early July to look for mates. There is only one generation of cicada killer wasps per year, and no adult wasps overwinter. Cicada killer wasps are often attacked by the parasitic velvet ant wasp, also known as the cow-killer wasp. The cow-killer wasp lays an egg in the cicada killer wasp's nest cell, and when the cicada killer larva pupates, the larva of the cow-killer wasp eats the pupa. Every so often, skunks dig up cicada killer burrows to feed on cicadas and wasp larvae.
CICADA KILLER WASP MANAGEMENT & CONTROL LONG ISLAND, NY
Preventative measures for controlling cicada killer wasps include over-seeding, watering, and fertilizing your lawn, which will result in a thick turf and discourage wasps from burrowing in it. If cicada killer wasps have become a nuisance on your Nassau County property, contact Long Island Bee Removal to get rid of them. There are a few proven options for cicada killer wasp control used by our exterminators.
