Wildlife officials say some Ohioans who may start seeing large wasps this time of year shouldn’t worry that the state is under attack by the Asian Giant “Murder” Hornets.

State extension agents say they begin getting calls from people concerned about the Cicada Killer Wasp which can measure more than one-and-a-half inches long and are one of the largest wasps in Ohio.

Female Cicada Killer Wasps have stingers but are not aggressive.  Males are aggressive but do not have stingers, according to the Ohio Department of Natural resources.

The wasps only prey is the annual Dog-Day Cicada, so-named because they appear in July during the “dog days” of summer.

 

 Unlike periodical cicadas that come out every 13 to 17 years, the Dog-Day Cicada appears annually in small numbers. 

Like their periodical cousins, Dog-Day Cicada males “sing” to attract females. However, they do not "chorus" with large numbers synchronizing their song.  An occasional dog-day cicada buzzing to entice a female doesn't compare to the cacophony created by a multitude of periodical cicadas. 

Female Cicada Killer Wasps spend their time digging and provisioning burrows with paralyzed cicada-prey.  They prefer to dig their brood burrows in bare, well-drained soil that is exposed to full sunlight. 

Although the wasps are considered solitary, all the females have the same nesting requirements.  So it is not unusual for there to be numerous burrows, and wasps, in relatively small areas.

 

 The males spend their time establishing and defending territories that encompass multiple females.  They are notoriously defensive and will aggressively buzz any transgressor who dares to enter their territory including other males as well as picnickers, golfers, volleyball enthusiasts, and gardeners. 

However, it's all a rouse since they lack the necessary equipment to deliver a sting.

Although the males cannot sting, their large size coupled with low-level flights over sand volleyball courts, sparse lawns, and bare areas in landscapes can be disconcerting generating demands for control options.  However, insecticide applications to kill the killers is not recommended.

Cicada killers are considered beneficial insects and the females are not aggressive; stinging encounters are exceedingly rare.  If the killers take-up residence in a public location, one option is to educate the public.

This approach was successful a few years in a park in Hamilton County.  Complaints dropped to zero after the sign was posted.

The best way to manage cicada killers if they appear where they are not wanted is to modify their habitat.  Renovating lawns late this summer to thicken the turfgrass will keep the killers out of lawns.  Applying mulch to cover bare soil or raking mulch to disturb and redistribute possible burrowing sites will convince females to nest elsewhere.  The same is true for golf course sand traps and sand volleyball courts:  periodical raking will prevent the wasps from becoming established.

The appearance of cicada killer wasps commonly triggers e-mails and phone calls to wildlife officials in Ohio and elsewhere in the eastern U.S. about Asian giant hornets.  European hornets which are now found in Ohio and much of the eastern U.S. may also be mistaken for Asian Giant Hornets.

Asian Giant Hornets have not been found in Ohio.  However, it was found late last season in the northwest corner of Washington State and just across the U.S. - Canadian border on Vancouver Island, B.C.  It is the first time this non-native honeybee killer had been confirmed in North America.

Given that Asian Giant Hornet somehow found its way to western North America, we must remain vigilant.  There could be other inadvertent introductions elsewhere in North America including Ohio.  If you have any doubts regarding the identity of a big wasp, report it!

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has created an AGH Reporting Tool so Ohioans can provide photographs and locations of suspicious insects.  Although photographs can't serve as official confirmation, they are helpful in making an initial identification before opening an investigation.

Here is the hotlink to the ODA's Asian Giant Hornet Online Reporting Portal: