Cicada killer wasps are much less dangerous than they look. Males, the ones that buzz around your head and hover in your face, can’t sting at all. Females can, but they’re docile and sting almost only when someone steps on one barefoot or grabs it. They don’t have a shared nest to defend, so they don’t swarm or attack in groups the way yellowjackets do.
For most yards, the best option is to leave them alone. They’re around for only a few weeks in mid-summer.
What cicada killers look like #
The eastern cicada killer (Sphecius speciosus) is one of the largest wasps in North America. The University of Kentucky’s fact sheet describes it this way:
- Size: females nearly 2 inches long, males about 1 1/2 inches
- Color: dark orange on the head and thorax, darkening to black on the abdomen
- Markings: three light yellow stripes across the abdomen
- Wings and legs: often with an orange or amber tint
They’re most common in July and August, which lines up with the annual cicadas they hunt.
Do cicada killers sting? #
Males can’t sting. Kentucky’s entomologists note that males have a pseudostinger, a sharp-looking tip with no venom. They patrol territories over nesting areas, dart at anything that moves, including people and pets, and look aggressive, but it’s all bluff.
Females can sting, but rarely do. They’re equipped with a stinger to paralyze cicadas, and Kentucky reports that stings almost always result from a person directly stepping on or grasping a wasp. Because each female digs her own burrow, there’s no colony to defend, which makes them far less defensive than social wasps like yellowjackets or hornets.
Why they’re digging in your lawn #
Female cicada killers dig burrows in soil to raise their young. According to Kentucky’s fact sheet, tunnels run 12 to 15 inches deep and up to 36 inches long, usually in well-drained, light, sandy soil and in sunny spots: bare patches in lawns, the edges of sidewalks and patios, flower beds and sandboxes. Each burrow has a small U-shaped pile of loose soil at the entrance.
The female catches a cicada, stings it to paralyze it, and carries or drags it back to her burrow, where she lays an egg on it. The larva feeds on the cicada, spends the winter underground and emerges as an adult the next summer. Many females often nest in the same area, which is why a yard can suddenly seem full of them.
Are they harmful or helpful? #
Cicada killers don’t damage buildings or eat plants. The main “damage” is the soil mounds and some disturbance to turf where burrows are dense. They’re a natural control on cicadas, and adults feed on flower nectar.
Cicada killer or something worse? #
Big yellow-and-black wasps aren’t all the same. How cicada killers compare to lookalikes:
| Insect | Size | Look | Nest | Defensive? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern cicada killer | Up to ~2 inches | Orange-brown front, black abdomen with yellow bands | Individual burrows in bare soil | Rarely stings |
| European hornet | About 1 inch or more | Brown and yellow, stout | Paper nest in hollow trees, walls, attics | Defends nest; flies at night |
| Eastern yellowjacket | About 1/2 inch | Bright yellow and black, smooth | Colony in the ground or in walls | Defends nest aggressively, stings repeatedly |
| Bald-faced hornet | About 3/4 inch | Black and white | Large paper ball in trees or shrubs | Very defensive near the nest |
| Great golden digger wasp | About 1 inch | Black with orange-red abdomen and legs, golden hairs | Individual burrows in soil | Rarely stings |
The big difference is the nest. Yellowjackets and hornets live in colonies and will defend them; a lawn pocked with many small single burrows is much more likely to be cicada killers or other solitary wasps. For bee and wasp look-alikes in general, see bugs that look like bees.
Do you need to get rid of them? #
Kentucky’s entomologists consider control generally unnecessary. The season is short, the wasps are docile and they’re doing useful work. But if they’re nesting next to a playground, a pool deck or a busy walkway, you have options:
- Wait it out. Activity drops off by late summer. Mark the area and wear shoes.
- Make the spot less attractive. Kentucky suggests changing the site: cover bare soil with thick mulch or ground cover, add shade, or water more. Cicada killers prefer dry, sunny, bare ground.
- Treat individual burrows. An insecticide dust applied directly into burrow openings is the targeted chemical option Kentucky lists. Read and follow the label, and treat in the evening when females are inside.
- Swat them. Some people use a racket on the patrolling males. It works but doesn’t stop the females.
A thick, healthy lawn is the long-term fix, since they rarely dig in dense turf.
If someone gets stung #
A cicada killer sting is painful but, for most people, not dangerous. Follow standard sting first aid from MedlinePlus: wash the area with soap and water, apply wrapped ice 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off, and use an antihistamine or anti-itch cream if needed. Wasps don’t usually leave a stinger behind, but if one is visible, scrape it out sideways rather than squeezing it with tweezers.
Call 911 for trouble breathing or wheezing, swelling of the face or mouth, throat tightness, difficulty swallowing, weakness or fainting, and use an epinephrine auto-injector if the person has one. For questions about a sting, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 in the US. Anyone with a known sting allergy should take any wasp sting seriously.
Confirm it with a photo #
If you want to be sure what’s nesting in your lawn before deciding what to do, get a photo of one on the ground or on a flower, from above or from the side. Insect Identity knows the eastern cicada killer and its common lookalikes, including the European hornet, eastern yellowjacket, bald-faced hornet and great golden digger wasp, as well as the periodical cicada it hunts. It gives a best match with a confidence score and four runners-up in about a second, offline. Stay a few feet back and use zoom; our bug photography guide has more tips. For other yard insects worth keeping around, see beneficial insects for the garden.
Frequently asked questions #
Do cicada killers sting humans? #
Rarely. Males can’t sting at all. Females can, but almost only when stepped on or grabbed. They don’t defend their burrows the way yellowjackets defend a nest.
Should I kill cicada killers? #
Usually there’s no need. They’re active for only a few weeks, they control cicadas and they rarely sting. If they’re nesting where people walk barefoot or children play, treating individual burrows or changing the soil conditions are targeted options.
How long do cicada killers stay? #
Adults are most active in July and August. Each adult lives only a few weeks, and activity fades by late summer. Their young stay underground until the next summer.
Why do cicada killers fly at me? #
Those are males guarding their territory over nesting areas. They investigate anything that moves, including people, but they have no stinger. Walking calmly through the area is safe.