Cicada Killers
in Wisconsin
One of the largest wasps in Wisconsin — and one of the gentlest. Cicada killers look intimidating: they are huge, loud, and dig burrows in lawns and gardens. But males cannot sting at all, and females almost never do. They hunt cicadas and are best left alone.
What They Do for Wisconsin
Cicada killers are solitary wasps. Females dig burrows in sandy or bare soil, hunt annual cicadas, paralyze them, and drag them underground as food for their larvae. They are intimidating in size and the males buzz aggressively around people, but it is all show — males have no stinger, and females are focused on hunting, not defending. They are beneficial cicada controllers and almost never a real stinging risk.
What They Do in the Winter
Cicada killers overwinter as larvae inside their underground burrows, feeding on the paralyzed cicadas their mother stocked. They pupate in spring and emerge as adults in mid-summer, when annual cicadas are active.
- Overwinter as larvae deep in underground burrows.
- Larvae feed on the paralyzed cicadas stored by the mother.
- Pupate in spring; adults emerge in mid-summer when cicadas appear.
- No colony survives winter — each burrow is one wasp's work.
Nesting
Females dig burrows in sandy, bare, or well-drained soil — lawns, garden edges, ball-field margins, and sandboxes. Burrows have a small mound of dirt at the entrance. They are solitary, but many females may nest in the same bare patch, creating a busy-looking "colony" that is really just neighbors.
Diet
Cicada killer larvae eat paralyzed annual cicadas — each burrow is stocked with one to several cicadas. Adults drink nectar and tree sap for energy and do not eat the cicadas themselves.
- Annual cicadas (paralyzed and stored for larvae)
- Nectar from flowers (adults)
- Tree sap and honeydew (adults)
- No interest in human food
Fast Facts
The aggressive, buzzing males that hover around you have no stinger at all — they are defending territory, not a threat.
Females can sting but almost never do unless grabbed or stepped on barefoot; they are busy hunting cicadas.
At up to 1.5 inches, cicada killers are one of the largest wasps in Wisconsin — and one of the least likely to sting.
They reduce annual cicada populations, which protects young trees from egg-laying damage.
Small dirt mounds with a hole in bare or sandy lawn patches are the giveaway — usually in full sun.
A dozen wasps zooming over your lawn looks alarming, but they are almost all harmless males and busy females.
Protect, Don't Exterminate
Honeybees are essential pollinators — we do not treat them as pests. If a colony has moved into your wall, chimney, or a high-traffic area, the right move is live relocation by a beekeeper, not extermination. We can help you find a local beekeeper and handle any follow-up exclusion so they don't return.
Learn About Bees & Pollinators