This article provides instructions on how to eradicate the ground-digger wasp (also known as the cicada-killer), should you have nest infestations on your lawn or property.
What are ground digger wasps?
1Learn about ground digger wasps. Ground-digger wasps (GDWs) are very large (slightly larger than a green hornet) passive-aggressive wasps that "build" their nests in dry, unfertilized earth. They are typically large and black-bodied with yellow stripes on their back-end. When fully grown, they measure about one and a half inches (or more) in length with about a one and a quarter-inch wide wingspan.
2Know the signs of ground digger wasps infesting your lawn or garden space. You'll know you've got ground-digger wasp nests when you see small granular mounds of dirt piled up anywhere from two-to-five inches in height. At the base of the mound of granular dirt will be a finger-sized hole with a "path" of dirt leading out from it.
- The nests will be sporadically built throughout your lawn or garden, but will typically be in the driest areas and/or under longer grass/weeds or under growing flowers. GDWs do not like, but can live in, moist soil.
3Find out the local life cycle. In the Northeast US, the life-cycle of a ground-digger wasp is about one month beginning in mid-July and ending around mid-to-late August (depending on where you live, their life-cycle may start earlier or later). They go from young adults buzzing about play-attacking with each other, to full-size adults in about two-to-three weeks.
4It's important to understand that they only sting when attacked. While very menacing looking, they are passive stingers, meaning only if very threatened will they attack and sting. You'd practically have to start digging into their nests while they're flying about for one to come at you and sting you (so, don't do that!). Otherwise, they tend to buzz about to check you out and to scare you away and they probably will the first time you encounter them. Know that they'd rather get on with their business of killing cicadas up in the trees than sting you.
Removing ground digger wasps
1While the method suggested here basically kills the wasps in their nests, there is no other (safe- for-nearby-pets) way to eradicate them. It is probable that you will still get nests from year-to-year, but only one, maybe two. The trick is to kill all of them while they're in their nests so their babies will not come back to the same place they were born.
2Get the supplies. To eradicate an infestation of ground-digger wasps (GDWs), purchase from your local party store and supermarket, the following items: a) a large bag of white plastic knives, and b) up to three or four jug gallons of regular or lemon ammonia.
3During the day, when the wasps are up hunting for cicadas in the trees, mark each nest you find with one of the plastic knives pushed into the ground as close to the hole of the nest as possible (without disturbing the hole). Leave enough of the knife sticking out of the ground so you can see it.
4After 10:30 or 11pm, (later is better), that evening, using a flashlight, seek out the knives you placed and carefully pour about two-to-three cups of ammonia into each of the holes. At this time the wasps are probably nesting/sleeping, so you'll be catching them while in the nest. (You can stretch out the amount of ammonia by mixing a one-to-one ratio of water to ammonia. The diluted strength will still be enough to kill them.) Do not remove the knives.
5The next day, repeat the process on any new nests that you find in the ground. You'll know the new nests from the old ones because you'll still have the knives in place from the night before. Once you've identified the new nests, remove the old knives.You may have to continually repeat the process depending on the original amount of wasps. Or you could hit the wasps with tennis rackets, knocking them to the ground then step on them.
Letting them ground digger wasps be
1Try this option if you're happy to let nature's creatures follow their natural cycles without freaking. First, this is a natural cycle and is part of nature's own way of dealing with a ballooning population of cicadas. Second, you can watch these interesting animals do their thing from the comfort of your own yard; they're raising their families just as every other natural creature tries to do. The way to cope if you leave them alone is very simple:
- Do not aggravate them. Do not push or poke them, do not walk on them and do not attack them with anything.
- Ignore them for two months. Just let them be as they dig up cicadas to feed their children. After two months, they'll be off.
- Don't wander around with bare feet at night. Be sensible about walking in your garden; no yard is completely safe from prickles, stings and unpleasant things, so wear appropriate protection and practice sensible use of your yard.
Will this method harm the flowers if I use it on the flower beds?wikiHow ContributorWasps are attracted to thin areas in the grass where they can get to the ground. Try with one flower and see how it goes. How many nests do you have in the flower bed? You could treat some nests, wait a day or two to let the flowers recover and then continue treatment if you need to. After the treatment is done, mulch around the flowers to discourage additional nests.
If cicadas come every 17 years, do the hornets come back every year or on the same cycle as the cicadas? If yearly, what do they feed on?wikiHow ContributorThere are multiple species of cicadas that have different cycles. Also, the 17-year cicadas are not "gone" between their outbreaks. The immature cicadas are underground feeding and developing.
What should I do if I get stung?wikiHow ContributorIf you are allergic to stings (you experience trouble breathing, major swelling, etc.), go to the emergency room. If you do not have major symptoms it will probably hurt like heck and you should wash the area with mild soap and water and ice it every 15 minutes. Break up an aspirin with a little warm water to make a paste and put it on the area. Take Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
Will ammonia kill wasp eggs?wikiHow ContributorYes, and your grass.
After the adult wasps leave, can I treat the nest then and kill all the babies?wikiHow ContributorLeave them alone. The wasp larva will hibernate over the winter and just fly away in early spring.
I have them all around my bee hives. What do I do?wikiHow ContributorThey do not eat bees. Do not worry about them. They will not sting you unless you grab them. They eat nectar and sap. Maybe some spilled honey too.
Pouring ammonia into the wasps' hole was ineffective. What else can I do to remove the wasps?wikiHow ContributorPour one gallon of warm sugar water in the hole. Use 3 cups of sugar to one gallon of warm water. The ants will then come and drive away the wasps.
I have been dealing with these wasps for years, and no matter what I try, they always come back. What can I do to resolve this permanently?wikiHow ContributorPour a gallon of sugar water (three cups sugar to a gallon of lukewarm water) down the hole at night. The ants will then come and drive the wasps away. Sugar water will not hurt your plants or the environment.
How do I mow the lawn when there are ground digger wasps, and I don't want to be stung?wikiHow ContributorYou have more of a chance getting hit in the face from a rock kicked up by your mower.
- You'll probably continue to have nests each year. However, if you repeat the same process above each year, your chances of having more nests the following years will reduce greatly.
- Share the instructions with your neighbors as chances are, they will also have GDWs and not know what they are or how to get rid of them. If they don't do anything, you'll have an infestation on the block before you know it.
- The more cicadas there are, the more GDWs you'll have. So, if you have 7-year cicada infestation cycles, the chances are you'll have a lot of GDW nests to deal with every seven years, unless you (and your neighbors) follow the method above to eradicate them. Or, you could just learn to live with it.
- If you see a GDW with a cicada under its belly, quickly get out the ammonia and pour it down the hole as soon as the GDW goes into the nest. (Birds will actually attack a GDW carrying a cicada under its belly, mid-air.)
- If you have pets, it is very important that you do not allow your pet to dig anywhere near a nest. You must also not use a diazinon or any other powdered toxic treatment on the GDW holes. Dogs and cats will not know that the powder is lethal to them.
- Instead of using ammonia, you might find boiling water works well, along with wasp and hornet spray for those landing on the ground.
- Use a low-powered flash light when treating the nests at night. Even at night GDWs will fly towards a very bright light.
- Before you mow in the summer, check thoroughly through your yard to make sure you don't run into the holes when mowing. The loud sound of the mower, plus it vibrating on the ground will cause the GDWs to get aggravated. And when you go to mow over the hole and get over it, will cause GDWs to come out of the hole and sting you. Check for holes to make sure, being that the grass will be high and you won't be able to see the hole very well.
- Do not agitate or aggravate a GDW. They may attack and sting you if their nests are threatened in any way. However be advised the males don't even have stingers, and the females sting under extreme provocation only. Wikipedia reports the female stings as relatively "weak". As such, it's important that you follow the above steps when you don't see any GDWs flying around; wait until they're either be up in the trees (during the day) or in the nest (if at night).
- Do not try to step on them; they're very fast when they're young adults/adults. As they get older, they tend to slow down, but can still sting if threatened.
Things You'll Need
- Large bag of white plastic party knives
- Up to four or more gallons of ammonia (regular or lemon)
Categories: Bee and Wasp Control
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