Cicada killer wasps

[ChrisTX]

Has anyone else seen these around? My kids were jumping on the trampoline and saw what they said was a huge bee. I was outside a little bit ago and there are actually several floating around the backyard. The last week or so I've found these little mounds of loose dirt, and I thought it was my kids playing with a little garden shovel. Turns out, these bees are the ones digging the holes.

They are huge by bee standards, but reading up on them, they appear to be harmless (try to explain that to three girls though). Now I just have to figure out how to get them to find a new place to dwell because my kids are scared to go outside.

[groovyone]

Cicadas are harmless but noisy.

[SCone]

Yes, they are huge. We used to watch them go into their hole and then catch them in a mason jar as they emerged. They would catch large grasshoppers too.

[Howard Barlow]

I once saw one carry off a small dog.

[Dobick]

I have always heard that these things were harmless, but honestly, I am worse than a little girl when it comes to flying insects that look like they have stingers. In all my life I have never heard of anyone who was stung by one.

You Tube

You Tube

[biggin]

I never knew they were harmless, I have been seeing a lot of them the past couple weeks.

[Saltwater Servitude]

Originally Posted by biggin

I never knew they were harmless, I have been seeing a lot of them the past couple weeks.

Probably because we finally got some rain. Amazing little creatures from a biological hibernatory standpoint, and I avoided taking entomology at all costs while pursuing my degree.

[ChrisTX]

I had about seven of them flying around today. I flooded and sealed off their holes, so hopefully they will find somewhere else to go.

Odd looking creatures. I got one today.

[Debbi]

Every year in the summer, we have a couple of them. The female does have a stinger but rarely sting humans. Doesn't matter to me. They scare me to death - almost drowned myself in the pool last year when one landed on me.