Our customers in Fairview Heights, IL will occasionally contact us about seeing large Yellow Jackets in their yard. Whenever we hear about this, we know you are most likely seeing Cicada Killers. Here we will go into detail about these large insects.
What are Cicada Killers?
Cicada Killers are large insects that are often mistaken in appearance for yellow jackets. The females have stingers but will rarely attack people. The male Cicada Killer does not have a stinger but has been known to headbutt when provoked. They lay their eggs in chambers they dig in the soil. They have sometimes been observed to dig out large amounts of soil at a time.
As their name implies, these bugs will hunt down Cicadas and paralyze them by stinging them then they take them back to their chamber to lay eggs on it. 10 or more cells of the chamber can be dug by these insects to give room for their eggs and the paralyzed Cicadas. If the egg of the cicada killer will hatch male, the mother will leave one Cicada with them, however, if the egg will hatch female, the mother will leave up to three Cicadas. This is because the females are larger than the males and require more nutrients to grow. When the larva inevitably hatches, they will use the Cicada as their main food source. When it’s ready, they will incase themselves in a pupa stage and then hibernate until the next Spring. They will finally emerge once they hear the sound of Cicadas in the Summer. After becoming adults, the Cicada Killer will never hibernate.
If you think you have a problem with Cicada Killers or any other kind of annoying insects, give our expert team over at American Termite & Pest Control a call today.
