Cicada Killer Wasp

Cicada Killer Wasp Control in Austin, TX

Straight answers and targeted treatment for the giant midsummer cicada killer wasps taking over your yard.

Why it happens

Why these giants show up in midsummer

If you need cicada killer wasp control because giant wasps are patrolling your yard, that's a call we get every summer at Keith's Bee Removal here in Austin, TX. We've been at this since 2000, and these are the ones that stop people in their tracks, since they're some of the biggest wasps you'll ever see, up to a couple inches long. They look terrifying. The good news is they're a lot more bark than bite. Here's what's really going on and how we handle it.

Here's the thing about cicada killers around here. They come out in the heat of summer, right when the cicadas start singing, because that's their whole purpose. The female hunts a cicada, paralyzes it, and drags it down into a burrow to feed her young. Central Texas gives them exactly what they want, hot weather, plenty of cicadas, and loose, well-drained soil to dig in. That's why they turn up year after year in the same sunny, sandy stretches of yard once July rolls around.

Our approach

Keeping them from coming back next summer

The lasting fix for cicada killers is usually the soil, not the spray. They want bare, loose, sunny dirt, so the best long-term answer is closing that ground up. We'll point out the thin or bare patches worth reseeding, mulching, or watering more, since a thick lawn is the one thing that reliably tells next summer's diggers to look somewhere else. That's what separates a one-time cicada killer control service from an actual fix, and it's advice we give whether or not you have us out.

Cicada Killer Wasp

What you should know

Reading the signs you’ve got them

Knowing what to look for helps you tell these apart from something dangerous. The clearest sign is the cicada killer holes in your yard, pencil-to-thumb-sized burrows with a little fan of loose dirt kicked out beside each one. You'll usually find them in bare, sunny patches, along sidewalk edges, or in thin lawn. And you'll see the wasps themselves, big and rust-and-yellow, hovering low over the ground. The males patrol aggressively and will buzz right up to your face, but here's the part folks miss: males can't sting at all.

Are cicada killers actually dangerous?

A lot of folks are surprised when we tell them these wasps are mostly harmless. The males that dive-bomb you have no stinger, and the females are so focused on hunting cicadas that they almost never bother people. They're solitary, so there's no big colony ready to swarm the way yellow jackets do. Because of that, cicada killer pest control isn't always necessary, and we'll tell you so honestly. The trouble is really the holes and the alarm they cause, plus the way repeated digging can undermine a walkway edge over a season.

When treatment actually makes sense

There are real reasons to go ahead with cicada killer treatment. If the burrows are along a walkway where people pass close, if someone in the house is nervous or allergic, or if the digging has taken over a whole section of yard, then cicada killer removal is worth doing. The same goes for a swarm of them working a bank or a sandy slope. In those cases proper cicada killer wasp removal means treating the active burrows directly so the next generation doesn't hatch right back into the same ground.

How we handle the burrows

Good digger wasp removal starts with reading the ground the same way we would for any nesting insect. We walk the yard, find where the burrows are concentrated, and treat those active holes directly rather than blanketing the whole lawn. Because these wasps nest one female to a burrow, thorough cicada killer nest removal means getting each active tunnel where the digging's densest. Careful cicada killer wasp nest removal handles the current wasps and the young below ground, so you're not doing this over again next July.

Where we work

Where we take cicada killer calls

We cover a wide stretch of Central Texas — Austin and Northwest Austin, San Antonio and Northwest San Antonio, plus Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Hutto, Kyle, San Marcos, New Braunfels, Lakeway, Lago Vista, Westlake, Bastrop, Elgin, Selma, Universal City, and out through Travis, Williamson, and Bexar Counties. If you're near any of those and big wasps have taken over your yard, give us a call.

Austin (512) 589-9658 San Antonio (830) 484-8986

AustinNorthwest AustinSan AntonioNW San AntonioRound RockGeorgetownCedar ParkLeanderPflugervilleHuttoKyleSan MarcosNew BraunfelsLakewayLago VistaWestlakeBastropElginDel ValleSelmaUniversal CityTravis CountyWilliamson CountyBexar County

Why Keith's Bee Removal

What years of this work have taught us

After doing this since 2000, you learn to read these summers. You learn that the wasp everyone's terrified of is usually the harmless one, and that the same sunny, sandy bank draws them back every July until the ground gets covered. That's what lets us tell you honestly when a cicada killer exterminator is worth calling and when a little patience does the trick. We're A+ accredited with the Better Business Bureau, and we earned that with straight answers, not by treating every big bug as an emergency.

What to do until we get there

While you wait on us, don't let their size rattle you. The males will buzz close and act tough, but they can't sting, so there's no need to swat or run. Keep kids and pets from poking at the burrows so nobody provokes a female while she's working. Skip the yard-wide sprays, which rarely reach down the tunnels and hit the good bugs on top. Note where the holes are thickest and whether the soil there stays bare, so we can plan both the treatment and the longer fix.

Frequently asked questions

Are these wasps as dangerous as they look?

No, and that's the surprise for most folks. The males that dive at you can't sting, and the females are so busy hunting cicadas they rarely bother people at all.

Do I actually need them removed?

Often not. They're solitary and short-lived through the summer, so we'll give you an honest read before recommending any cicada killer extermination.

Why did they pick my yard?

Bare, loose, sunny soil is what draws them, especially along walkways and in thin lawn. That's why filling in those patches is the best long-term answer.

Will they sting my kids or pets?

It's very unlikely. Females only sting if grabbed, and males can't at all, so just keep everyone from digging at the burrows and you're fine.

Will they be back next summer?

They can, if the ground stays bare and the cicadas keep coming. Treating clears this year's burrows, but reseeding and covering the soil is what keeps them from settling back in.