Large wasps on your lawn is a growing problem. We get many calls every year about them from frantic homeowners. These wasps are actually called Cicada killers. As the name implies they are parasitic to Cicadas. These wasps are very docile and aren’t a social wasp. They don’t build large hives and the likelihood of being stung is slim. In fact, I’ve been on many lawns with these wasps and to date never been stung. Here’s what’s happening and why.
These large wasps on your lawn are attracted to the bare spots in the grass or dirt areas along sidewalks. The Cicada killer wasp usually spends the night in trees and shrubs in your yard. On bright sunny days around August they will begin digging holes to lay eggs. Once the holes are dug these large wasps on your lawn will provision each hole with a dead Cicada (thus the name Cicada killer) so that when the young hatch they have something to feed upon.
The cure for what bugs you
Over the years we spent countless hours using insecticidal dusts treating each hole. Our efforts usually were in vain as the large wasps on your lawn seldom will return to the same hole.
Our service people have gone so far as to use a high powered mist blower to get the wasps “wet” with insecticide while they were flying around. Again we failed.
However, in 2016 we took a new approach that worked like a charm. Aside from telling the homeowner that the grass needed attention we did the following:
- Applied a granular insecticide to the entire area
- Applied a liquid residual power spray to the entire area
- Instructed the homeowner to water in the product with 1′-2′ or water
Here’s what we found. Whether the large wasps on your lawn returned to the same hole or dug another they got a lethal dose of product and the problem was either solved or diminished.
Last, it should be noted that these measures are only warranted when there is a large congregation of Cicada killers interfering with daily life. The reason is that the problem will be short lived. It should also be noted that there is a very high probability of the wasps returning the following year.
Unfortunately, getting the lawn in shape is ultimately the solution. So, as usual a pesticide is only part of the answer.
If you have large wasps on your lawn and need help, please call Envirocare Pest Control, LLC at 1-888-879-6481