Whether you dread them each year or are waiting for them to emerge and control the cicada population you may be wondering, “When do cicada killers come out? The answer is they come out each summer in late June or July. Here’s what you’ll want to know.
Cicada Killer Wasps Friend or Foe?
There’s no doubt about it, cicada killer wasps do look scary. With females reaching up to two inches in length, they are without a doubt intimidating. However, these insects are actually considered harmless. And while they can dig up lawns, garden beds, and the edges of patios in creating their burrows, cicada wasps are actually a helpful predator that helps to keep the population of annual cicadas in check.
When Do Cicada Killer Wasps Come Out?
Exactly when cicada killers emerge depends on the geographic location. However, in general, they are active during the summer months after the emergence of their hosts, the annual cicada. This usually means they emerge in late June or July with the males emerging slightly before the females. In the Northeast US, the cicada killer wasps typically come out in mid-July.
When Do Cicada Killers Go Away?
The cicada killer wasp only lives a short part of its life above ground. After it emerges from the ground they typically live only around 65 days before they die off around the end of the summer or early fall. However in that time, they will feed, and mate and the females will dig burrows where they create underground cells for their eggs.
This takes several weeks, and when the females are ready to lay their eggs they will begin to hunt and collect cicadas which are paralyzed with venom from their stingers and brought to their burrows. Only females perform this task as males cannot sting. The eggs are laid directly on the cicadas and each set of cicadas and eggs are sealed off separately in an underground cell in her burrow.
Within a few days, the eggs hatch, and the larva feed on the cicada. By the fall the larva will have spun a silken cocoon while the adults have all died out. They will remain in their underground cell for most of the year until the summer months when this new generation of cicada killers comes out and starts the cycle all over again.
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