Are cicada killers dangerous?
Not much. Males can't sting, and females rarely do unless grabbed or stepped on barefoot. The dive-bombing is males defending territory, and it's all show.
Cicada Killer Wasp (Sphecius speciosus)
Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS Certified Pesticide Applicator (C1825832). Updated September 23, 2026.
Quick facts
The cicada killer is the giant wasp, up to an inch and five eighths long, that shows up in Long Island lawns, sand beds, and along patios in July and August. It's a solitary ground nester that hunts cicadas, and its size scares people far more than its sting record justifies.
| Size | 1 1/8 to 1 5/8 inches, one of the largest wasps in North America |
|---|---|
| Color | Black body with yellow to white bands, dark red head and thorax, brownish wings and legs |
| Look-alikes | European hornet (social, nests in hollows), bald-faced hornet, mining bees (much smaller, spring) |
| Where you'll find it | Burrows in dry, well-drained, sparsely vegetated soil: lawn edges, sand beds, along patios, sidewalks, and driveways, under decks |
| Active on Long Island | July through early September |
| Danger level | Lawn damage from mounds; females rarely sting, males can't |
Long Island season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Adults emerge in the first week of July on Long Island, and each one lives about 60 to 75 days, so activity fades by early September.
How to identify it
Size settles it. A wasp well over an inch long, black and yellow, with a reddish head, flying low over a lawn or hovering around a hole with a horseshoe of loose dirt at the entrance is a cicada killer.
Males patrol and dive at people and each other but have no stinger. Females carry paralyzed cicadas down into the burrow. Mining bees make similar but much smaller holes in spring and are gone by June.
Signs you have them
- Half-inch holes in dry soil with a U-shaped mound of excavated dirt at the entrance
- Several holes in the same sunny, sandy, thin-grassed area
- Large wasps hovering low over the lawn in July and August
- Cicadas being carried through the air
Why it matters
Each female moves several pounds of soil digging a burrow 6 to 10 inches deep with side chambers, and a colony of a few dozen females along a patio or in a sand-based lawn leaves mounds and sunken spots all over it (Ohio State). Long Island's sandy South Shore soils and the sand beds under pavers and pools are ideal for them, which is why the same yards get hit every summer.
The sting risk is low: males can't sting and females are mild-mannered and fly away when disturbed.
Can I handle it myself?
Often, if it's a few burrows. Ohio State's guidance is insecticidal dust at each entrance after dark when it's below 60 degrees, and thickening the lawn so the bare, dry spots they want aren't there.
Where it's an area problem, dozens of burrows along a patio or a whole sand-based lawn, treating one hole at a time doesn't get ahead of it.
How Bobby Bugs treats it
We treat every active burrow in the area and the soil they're nesting in, then advise on lawn and bed changes so the same spot isn't a target next July. Cicada killer and mining bee treatment is priced per area and carries a 6-month written guarantee.
Related answers
Frequently asked questions
Why does my lawn get cicada killers every summer?
Because they nest in dry, sandy, well-drained soil with thin grass, and Long Island has a lot of it. Once a yard has burrows, the next generation emerges from them the following July.
When do cicada killers go away?
By early September. Adults live about 60 to 75 days after emerging in early July. The larvae stay underground until the next summer.
What's the difference between a cicada killer and a hornet?
Cicada killers are bigger, solitary, and nest in the ground one female per burrow. Hornets are social, build paper nests in trees or on structures, and defend them in numbers.
Sources
Think you have cicada killer wasps? Call (516) 509-6001 for a free written quote.