Giant hornet or wasp (crime, storage, food)

[newcharlottan]

I didn't know we had those giant wasp or hornet. I am not sure which of the two but it was very very very large. I was walking to my mailbox under a row of trees when something dropped in front of me. I looked down and at my feet was the giant wasp grappling an aphid. (I think, green with wings) The wasp finally got a grip on it and flew off with the aphid. The aphid was full sized too but the wasp was easily twice its size and thick as my thumb.

Almost reminded me of those Japanese green hornet...

[midwest_transplant07]

sounds scary, but I'm having a very funny visual of a wasp flying off with a kitten. ihope the issue is solved before things get worse. that's a sting I wouldn't want my worst enemy to experience.

[PeytonC]

^^ LOL maybe we should lobby CMPD to use these in crime control. I would love to see some thug carried away in the sunset by a huge hornet.

[89quattro]

Cicada killer.....

[evilnewbie]

I love cicadas, I use to catch them all the them, they had molts on the bark of our tree as well... very colorful... I never saw them attack anything before, I caught hundreds of them and put them in jars (unfortunately they all died like the millions of other bugs I collected during adolescence)... I like the sound they make at dusk... it reminds me of country life...

[mullman]

Yes, 'cicada killer bees'.
Even though they are very large, I have never seen them be aggressive towards humans or dogs/cats.
They burrow in the ground and take the cicada inside for food storage. You will notice small mounds of dirt beside your driveway or in your yard.
The entry hole is about .75" in diameter.

My neighbors and I have them alternating years (we joke that we send them back and forth).
Neither Orkin nor Terminix have anything that will treat them.
I use the tennis racket approach (killed 10 or so today), you should see my backhand!

[sstarrx3]

Unless your a Cicada, you should have nothing to fear

[newcharlottan]

Whew, this forum is awesome. I wasn't terrified but just anxious, I can only imagine if it had fallen on my head. Then I would have been terrified!

[Nina-in-Ashland]

Now I know what this thing is, but how do you get rid of the cicada killer "nest" on your lawn? I don't like it.

I discovered the mound on my front lawn this evening while watering flowers -they constructed it right up against my concrete front step. I sprayed w/ the hose to see if it was a fire ant hill, and 2 big waspy things (I guess the cicada killers) flew out of it.

[bugguy]

You're nearly right - they're cicada killer WASPS. The males can't sting and the females usually won't unless you step on them, etc. I have treated several yards this year for them and it's usually a yearly occurrence. They're not hard to control with the know-how!! (As for Orkin and Terminix, they're better at marketing than they are at pest control!)

Originally Posted by mullman

Yes, 'cicada killer bees'.
Even though they are very large, I have never seen them be aggressive towards humans or dogs/cats.
They burrow in the ground and take the cicada inside for food storage. You will notice small mounds of dirt beside your driveway or in your yard.
The entry hole is about .75" in diameter.

My neighbors and I have them alternating years (we joke that we send them back and forth).
Neither Orkin nor Terminix have anything that will treat them.
I use the tennis racket approach (killed 10 or so today), you should see my backhand!