Cicada killer wasps emerging in Central Texas

Over the past week I've been getting questions on large wasps that people are seeing emerging from the ground.  They want to know what they are and be reassured that they are not the Asian giant hornet.  These wasps are known as cicada killers and are aptly named.  Cicada killers are large wasps, reaching around 1.5 inches.  They have a rusty colored head and thorax with a black and yellow patterned abdomen.  The wings are also rusty in color, but transparent.

Cicada killer wasps are solitary, but multiple wasps may be seen in the same area at times.  Males are known for aggressively defending their territory and patrolling burrows created underground. While males dive bomb someone who walks into their territory, they are incapable of stinging.  Female cicada killers are capable of stinging, but generally reserve their stinger for paralyzing prey and tend to only sting in defense.

Adult wasps feed on nectar and tree sap while immatures feed on cicadas.  Adult female wasps locate a cicada, sting it causing the cicada to become paralyzed and then carry it back to the tunnel created in the ground.  She drags the cicada into the tunnel and to a nesting chamber.  Each chamber is provisioned with 1-2 cicadas before the female lays an egg on the leg of the cicada and seals up the chamber.  Once the egg hatches, the wasp larva eats the provided cicadas, overwintering in the ground as a mature larva, and pupating the following year to emerge again when cicadas are available.

Tunnels are about a foot deep and about 2 feet long with 3-4 chambers off to the sides for provision cicadas for larvae.

These wasps are considered to be beneficial, so no control is recommended.  If you feel that you need to manage them, you can:
1. Use clear plastic tarp over the tunnel area to solarize
2. Sprinkle and insecticidal dust around the tunnel opening and tamp it down with your foot

Seminar on plant pest management- Saturday July 14, 2018

I'm giving a presentation on plant pest identification and management at Round Rock Gardens (901 Sam Bass Road, Round Rock, TX 78681).  If we have enough time, I'll also cover some of the beneficials that can be found in the landscape. Bring your bug questions or samples that you may need help with.

WHAT: plant pest ID & management seminar
WHERE: 901 Sam Bass Road, Round Rock, TX 78681 (@ Round Rock Gardens)
WHEN: Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 10AM

Happy Halloween! Today I discuss spiders!

If you have heard me speak about indoor pest control, you most likely have heard me talk about trying to encourage people to not kill spiders they find in the house. The spiders can help to capture and take care of other insects that may be a problem in the home, so leaving them in place is part of a good IPM program. I also often answer the question of what I do for pest control in my own home. Since hubby and I are both entomologists, we really don't get too worked up about many things being in the house. Most things we either leave alone or capture and throw outside. There are some things that I do squish- flies that drive me crazy in the kitchen while I'm trying to cook or silverfish that plague the bathroom (one day the wallpaper will be gone and hopefully with it the silverfish problem). The fire ants in the yard are also baited for each spring and fall followed with treating any mounds that pop up with boiling water.

But spiders....we tend to leave them be. We've had the spider in the photo hanging out right by the kitchen sink for over a month now. No, it's not for Halloween decorating purposes (although that would also be suitable), it's not harming anyone so I leave it alone and it takes care of any other things that wander along. I have a window right above my kitchen sink along with a fly light just to the right of the sink, so it's a great place for a spider web. As you can see it's captured a beetle for breakfast.

A Lesson in IPM

Last weekend was a learning lesson for the boy.  When I went into his room after his nap, he told me that he had a bunch of ants on the other side of his bed.  He wasn't panicked, but just stating a fact.  I go look on the other side of his bed and discover a bunch of acrobats ants crawling on the floor, the windowsill and the wall.  I told the boy to come over and look at the ants.  He did.  I asked why he thought they may be all over the place.  He wasn't sure.  I asked if it could be because the location the ants were crawling around in was the same location he goes to hide and eat candy in his room.  He thought that I had made a good conclusion.  I informed him that there will be no more food (including candy) in his room.  We then got out the vacuum and sucked up the ants and food crumbs and then played pirates and policemen.

Excluding Pests from Your Home

With cooler temperatures, you may often find your home invaded by unwelcome visitors. No, I'm not talking about all the relatives that come to visit for the holidays. Many insects and other arthropods will move indoors to find a more suitable habitat to spend the winter. With a few preventative techniques, you can exclude many of these critters from coming inside.

Exclusion ideas to help keep pests out of your house:

• Prune trees and shrubs so they do not touch or over hang the house or roofline.



• Do not stack firewood or other items against the house.



• Install weather stripping around loose fitting doors and windows (if you can see daylight around a door during the day then the weather stripping should be replaced).



• Block weep holes in homes with a brick or stone facade with steel wool or copper mesh (use copper on light colors since steel wool will rust if it gets wet).



• Use caulk or expanding foam to fill in cracks and crevices on the outside of the home and around pipe and wire penetrations.



• Keep window screens in good repair.



• Use stainless steel mesh wire to block access points in the attic (vents, etc.).

Welcome!

Well, this is something new for me. I've been considering starting a blog, but have been a bit wishy-washy about doing so. I finally decided to take the leap and come up to date with what's going on in the world. I guess I didn't understand the purpose of blogging, but considering that I essentially do the same thing using an email list I've been compiling the past several years, I figured this might work out to my (and your) benefit. This way, I don't have to keep track of everyone's email when they change it and you benefit by having the option to unsubscribe whenever you want, or hopefully, tell your friends to subscribe as well.

This blog will enable me to communicate about IPM, mainly structural and landscape, and provide tips on how to best manage pests. Occasionally, I might throw in some odd things or random facts about bugs, just because they are truly amazing creatures. It's so great to have a job that I can mess around with bugs and get paid to do it! And mom, you thought I'd never get a job being an entomologist!

So, I hope that you'll subscribe and join my excitement for the very buggy world around us!