This article was co-authored by Chris Parker. Chris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. Since 2016, Chris has been specializing in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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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.
Steps
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Learn 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.[1]
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Know 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.
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Find 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.[2]
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It'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.[3] 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.[4]
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While 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.
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Get 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.
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During 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.
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After 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.
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The 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.
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do I trap regular wasps?Chris ParkerChris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. Since 2016, Chris has been specializing in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.
Pest Control SpecialistTo trap regular wasps in your house, first I recommend sealing up any cracks and gaps around windows, doors, and vents to keep more from getting in. Then, set up wasp traps near windows or where you usually see them. You can make a simple trap with a plastic bottle and some sweet liquid bait like sugar water or fruit juice. The wasps will be drawn to the bait, go into the bottle, and get trapped. Check the traps regularly and get rid of the wasps you catch. If the problem continues, try using insecticidal sprays or call a professional pest control service for help. -
QuestionAre there any benefits of keeping ground digger wasps in my yard?Chris ParkerChris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. Since 2016, Chris has been specializing in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.
Pest Control SpecialistKeeping ground digger wasps in your yard can actually be quite beneficial. Unlike some other wasp species, ground digger wasps are not hostile or protective over their nests. Similar to mud dauber wasps, allowing ground digger wasps to inhabit your yard without disturbance can be beneficial. Although you may be quite concerned or annoyed about the holes they create in your lawn, these holes actually provide excellent aeration for the soil, promoting healthy growth. So, instead of treating your entire yard with insecticide to eliminate them, I highly recommend letting ground digger wasps coexist in your yard. -
QuestionDo cicada killer wasp sting humans?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerCicada killer wasps are not aggressive toward human beings and prefer to retreat than attack. The female cicada killer wasp can sting humans but usually this only happens by accident; if trodden on or stuck in clothes or shoes by accident, the wasp may sting in self defense. The male wasp does not have a stinger, only a sharp spine to jab with. Take care where you step and don’t bother the wasps and they won’t bother you.
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Tips
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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.Thanks
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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.Thanks
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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.Thanks
Warnings
- Use a low-powered flash light when treating the nests at night. Even at night GDWs will fly towards a very bright light.Thanks
- 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.Thanks
- 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.Thanks
- 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).Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Large bag of white plastic party knives
- Up to four or more gallons of ammonia (regular or lemon)
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about pest control, check out our in-depth interview with Chris Parker.
References
- ↑ https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/cicada-killer-and-other-digger-wasps
- ↑ https://www.pests.org/get-rid-of-wasps-and-hornets/
- ↑ https://ipm.ucanr.edu/pmg/pestnotes/pn7449.html
- ↑ https://pestsinthehome.extension.org/wasps/how-to-get-rid-of-wasp-hornet-yellow-jackets/
- ↑ https://ccenassau.org/resources/cicadas-and-cicada-killer-wasps
About This Article
To get rid of ground digger wasps or cicada killers from your lawn, mark every hole you see with a plastic knife. Then, at 11 p.m. or later, pour a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water into each hole, putting 2 to 3 cups in each hole. Come back out the next day, mark any new holes you see, and repeat the process until they are all dead. Keep reading for tips on how to deal with them if you decide not to kill them.
Reader Success Stories
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"This article is spot-on with help identifying GDWs. I will be trying the described ammonia treatment tonight, as my yard is where the family and pets all play. Prior to reading this article, I have become quite a good shot with a BB rifle in effort to take my backyard back. These critters have filled my windows with a lot of long, sad, fearful faces on the inside looking out at the overtaken oasis they once knew. Although target practice is fun and good, it's not working for what we need. Thanks."..." more