Lot of wasps this year...

[w_r_ranch]

especially the ones I call 'yellow jackets'. Them lil' suckers are real aggressive, much more so than the red wasps. Every time I've filled the bird feeders this year, they building a nest inside each feeder (I've never had this problem before).

While I always expect them to be an issue at the deer stands, I don't like them to be buzzing me constantly on the back porch... I hate them almost as much as I hate fire ants, scorpions & mosquitos.





While I bought 2 of these glass traps years ago, you can easily make some out of soda/water bottles if you are also having issues with them.

http://www.prairiestory.com/2010/09/homemade-wasp-trap.html

 

[whistech]

Mr. Ranch, they are just looking for some of that great food you cook.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Maybe that it... LOL!!!

How many are familiar with or have ever seen a giant wasp??? Got a bumper crop of them too.

They are huge & fly at about 2000 MPH??? For those that think I'm exaggerating, I'm not... OK, I may be off a little on the speed, but then again I've been on the receiving end of what I thought was a strafing run... Scared the crap out of me & I got really, really lucky about 3 weeks ago... one of them made a couple of hard passes at me while I was sitting on the back porch & on its 3rd run, I got him with the fly swatter!!! About 1.75" long when I stretched it out... Found out later that they are called 'Cicada Killers'.






Horns, thorns, fangs & stingers... You got to stay on your toes, just say'in.

 

[Mike]

Their sinister buzzing and ¼-inch long stingers are enough to make most gardeners turn and run from the 1 ½ to 2-inch long cicada wasp hunters, commonly known as the cicada killer wasp (Sphecius speciosus). Although they may give you a scare, cicada killer wasps are actually beneficial garden insects, only inflicting painful stings as a last resort. So exactly what are cicada killers wasps? Keep reading to learn more.

What are Cicada Killer Wasps?
Cicada killer wasps are a group of solitary wasps that feed on flower nectar while paralyzing live cicadas for their offspring. In a garden plagued by cicadas, these large wasps are both a blessing and a curse. This yellow-banded wasp rarely bothers gardeners, but they can cause considerable damage to lawns and gardens while excavating the dens where they will lay their eggs.

Females do the digging, preferring sandy or loose soils for her ½-inch wide tunnels. The entire egg-laying complex created by an individual cicada killer wasp is usually no more than 15 inches below the surface, but tunnels may reach up to 70 inches in length. Each tunnel can have up to 15 egg chambers that the female must stock with cicadas for her offspring to feed upon when they hatch.

Because of these extensive tunnels, cicada wasps in the garden can spell disaster for transplants or plants with delicate root systems. Lawns are may be damaged by their digging, especially when tunnels are extensive and many pounds of soil are dumped above ground. Fortunately, there is only one generation of cicada wasp hunters each year, limiting the damage these insects can inflict.

Controlling Cicada Killer Wasps
Control is rarely warranted for these enormous wasps because of their docile and solitary nature, but if you live in an area where cicada populations are high, your cicada killer wasp family may be willing to tolerate neighbors. Even so, many cicada killer wasps in an unused corner of the yard may not necessitate control. If they are causing severe damage, such as smothering grass or destabilizing patios, knowing how to control cicada killer wasp is useful.

Tunnels can be blocked with garden geotextiles and covered in mulch if they are running through flower or perennial beds, but drenching the garden thoroughly with water when the burrows first appear is often enough to deter cicada killer wasps. Careful watering and fertilizing of turfgrass will produce lush growth that prevents the wasps from digging in the lawn.

When all other efforts fail, applying a tablespoon of carbaryl dust just inside each visible tunnel opening will kill individuals quickly; cyfluthrin or cyhalothrin can be used in areas where carbaryl is no longer available. After destroying the wasps, correct the conditions that made your garden or lawn an attractive place for these wasps or more will arrive next season to take their place.

Source: gardeningknowhow.com

 

[w_r_ranch]

cicada killer wasps are actually beneficial garden insects, only inflicting painful stings as a last resort.

Maybe so, but like I said, I don't tolerate sharing my personal space with anything that has horns, thorns, fangs & stingers... out in the bush, sure... around me and mine, no.

 

[Cody]

I can watch the wasp and yeller jackets fly around, but those giant ground hornets scare the crap out of me.

 

[Cody]

oh! I see we are talking about the same thing now. oops..

 

[Cody]

oh! I see we are talking about the same thing now. oops..

 

[Mike]

Maybe so, but like I said, I don't tolerate sharing my personal space with anything that has horns, thorns, fangs & stingers... out in the bush, sure... around me and mine, no.


View attachment 248

Good explanation of a wasp.

 

[Lost in mn]

Thank god we don't have anything like there here, however we have these nasty ground hornets that can sting ya multiple times before you even feel it. They are small and hard to see when you are mowing the grass. I got nailed 39 times last year in my leg and it was black for 3 months. I hate bees all bees even good bees because no matter what one of em always gets me lol.
On a brighter note that beehive is no longer with us. Thanks to 1/4 gallon of Mobile premium gas and a roman candle!

We also have giant paper wasps here. I've never heard of anyone getting stung by them but they build huge hives in the trees. They are about the same size as your Cicada Wasps but Black and white in color. We found a hive in a tree a few years ago that was 8 feet across.

 

[finkikin]

Sam, you need a Bug-A-Salt! They are fun and productive!

 

[ErnieCopp]

I am allergic to stings, and I have not seen the big ones you describe in either CA or ID, but the one i am afraid of is the small black hornet with the white spot on its head, called bald headed hornets. On the Nursery, i had a tubing cage on the tractor to brush the branches back, as i did the tractor work between the trees. The hornets built paper nests in the trees, and shaking the branches hard like that would infuriate them. I tried to locate the nests and spray them out of business, but when they did strike me on the arm, it would swell up as big as my leg and leave me feeling funny for several hours. We have a few down here, too, but have not been stung lately. So, it looks like we have bad bugs everywhere.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Emptied out the traps this morning, as they were full, & re-baited them. Killed another of them big suckers yesterday that made the mistake of buzzing me... Sheesh... that stinger looks to be the size of a bayonet.

 

[Martin_1]

Agree with you wasps are found in a big quantity every where in these days.Some of these are dangerious for us and put a lot of negative effects on our routeeen life.Above members share some good tips to keep wasps fa away.I think we need to follow the above things .

 

[Mr_Yan]

Your cicada killers sound different than the ones we have. Ours are rather docile unless you irritate them and are solitary ground wasps. Man they look terrible flying into the ground while carrying a cicada though.

We had them for a few years and I didn't do anything about them but I killed three in summer of 2012 because my crumb-crunchers were starting to explore and wouldn't know not to mess with them.