Wasps Hovering Above Your Yard? You May Have a Ground Digger Wasp Infestation
Have you ever seen small, round piles of mud or dirt on the ground with a hole in the middle and wondered what kind of ant makes such a small hill? They’re not ant hills; they harbor ground digger wasps.
If you want to learn more about ground digger wasps, you’ve come to the right place. As pest control experts and entomology (the study of insects) hobbyists, we know more than a thing or two about these flying insects, and we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about them. Just keep reading!
What Are Ground Digger Wasps?
“Ground digger wasp” is something of an umbrella term for the many varieties of predatory wasps in the Sphex genus, which make their nests underground. Their nests are down in the ground as far as 6 inches and typically look like a small pile of dirt with a quarter-sized hole in the center.
This group has multiple types of wasps, but to keep things simple, today’s discussion will mainly pertain to four common ground digger wasps: Cicada killers, mud daubers, yellow jackets, and golden diggers.
Cicada Killer Wasps
Cicada killers are one of the larger types of ground-digging wasps, resembling the infamous murder hornet. Although you’ll find cicada killers here in Alabama, it is highly unlikely you’ll encounter its aggressive doppelganger.
Even though cicada killers are humongous—as far as wasps go—and scary-looking, they’re not interested in chasing people unless you threaten their nest in some way. And then they’ll sting you, which is painful but mildly venomous.
Cicada killers are a solitary variety of ground digger wasps, meaning they live in solitude in holes in the ground. The females lay their eggs in a ground tunnel with some food to eat upon hatching; then, she ditches her nest to return to life as a lone wolf. The males will guard the nest by themselves until the hatchlings emerge.
The only time you should be concerned about the presence of cicada killers is if one flies into your house because they’re sneaky and intelligent little creatures, making it difficult to get them out. For specific advice on ridding your home of a cicada killer, check out our detailed blog on them.
Mud Daubers
Mud daubers are a lot like cicada killers. They’re non-aggressive, solitary wasps that do not sting people unless they disturb their nests, and their venom is extremely mild. The main difference from cicada killers is that mud daubers make their nests with mud.
Yellow Jackets
This yellow and black-striped variety of ground digger wasp with a yellow face is notorious for aggression. Yellow jackets can be set off easily if you disturb their nest in any way (even if you just walk on the ground directly above their nests). They also have a venomous and painful sting, and, unlike bumblebees, they can sting you repeatedly without losing their stinger.
Another way that yellow jackets differ from other ground digger wasps is that they are eusocial insects that live in colonies. Their three caste (male, queen, and worker) colonies can simultaneously have hundreds or even thousands of yellow jackets living underground in joint nests.
Great Golden Diggers
Cicada killers aren’t the only massive variety of ground digger wasps—great golden diggers can grow up to 3 inches long! That’s three times the size of a cicada killer!
Despite looking like giant bees or yellow jackets, great golden diggers are pretty docile unless you disturb them significantly, in which case the females will sting you. Their stingers are venomous, but there is a minimal amount of venom. And they’ll only sting you once before they retreat. They’re solitary creatures that tunnel down into sandy soils.
Prevention Tips + When to Call a Professional
Once ground digger wasps settle in your yard, you’ll need to call a professional to remove them and implement solutions to keep them from returning. Do not try to mess with the ground nests or handle one of these creatures, or they’ll sting you.
However, you can try the following three methods to prevent and control minor populations from a distance while you’re waiting for your appointment with pest control:
- Ambush At Night: When the ground digger wasps plaguing your property go to their nests for the night, bamboozle them by spraying the nest with white vinegar (then run away)!
- Wash Them Out: Similarly to how you trap and smother fruit flies with apple cider vinegar and dish soap, you can wipe out a ground digger wasp nest by placing a weed control barrier (with a tiny hole cut in it) over it and pouring a 2:1 mixture of dish soap and warm water into the hole. The wasps won’t be able to escape, and they’ll drown in the soap mixture.
- Make Your Lawn Damp: Ground digger wasps only tunnel into dry soil and sand, so make sure your sprinklers are on a few days a week throughout the summer to keep the ground too damp for them.
Why We’re Sharing This in Late Fall
Although ground digger wasps only stay until August in most regions of the U.S., they linger into October here in the Southeast. By the time we publish this article in November, the wasps will (hopefully) have mostly gone underground to overwinter. Still, the beginning of chilly weather in late fall is one of the best times to try these hacks and to call for professional pest control services.
By eradicating ground wasp populations while they’re overwintering and dormant, you’ll prevent them from waking up and emerging aboveground alive in the spring.
Hiring the Right Professional in Birmingham
If you live in the Birmingham metro area or one of the surrounding cities in Central Alabama and have a ground digger wasp problem, you need lawn pest control services from Vulcan Termite & Pest Control!
For 40+ years, our team of integrative pest management professionals has proudly aided hundreds of families in Birmingham and nearby communities by eradicating invasive pests on their property.
We’ll gladly perform a FREE evaluation and create and implement an effective strategy using our tried-and-true methods, so you and your family can enjoy a pest-free home.
Are you curious to keep learning about common critters found in Alabama or how to safely and humanely deal with them when they show up on your property uninvited? Check out more of our weekly pest blogs for helpful tips, tricks, and educational content!