If you're a cicada, these wasps are very dangerous. Cicada killer wasps, as their name suggests, focus their predatory instincts on killing and eating cicadas. In fact, they expend all their effort toward this pursuit. They burrow tunnels, that can be several feet long, and create nesting sites specifically designed to hold dead cicadas, which are used to feed baby wasps. So, if you're a cicada, and you're reading this, you defiantly want to stay away from these wasps.
Are cicada killer wasps dangerous to humans? You think that with a name that actually has the word "killer" in it, that it would be a resounding yes. But, the real answer to this question is: yes, no, and maybe. Why so obligatory? Here's why.
Yes. If you are allergic to wasp stings, then these wasps may have you running to the Benadryl, or worse, the hospital. A wasp sting for someone who is allergic can be very dangerous. And, certainly nothing to mess around with. If you have an allergy to bees or wasps, you're going to want to steer clear of these wasps, especially if they are 2 inches long or larger.
No. If you run into a male cicada killer wasp, you don't have anything to worry about. The males of this wasp species do not sting. At all. So, if you see a cicada killer wasp, you're going to want to take note of its size. Males are half the size of the females, which are normally around 2 inches in length. It's okay. You can gasp. We understand. If the wasp you're looking at is less than an inch in length, you have nothing to worry about. Just make sure it is a cicada killer wasp, and not some other smaller wasp that CAN sting.
Maybe. If you run into a 2-inch killer cicada, you now know that you're staring at a female. That means she can sting you. But she doesn't really care to. Cicada killer wasps are solitary wasps. That means they don't have the instinct to swarm or protect their nests. They don't have the mob mentality you find with other more social insects. So, you're probably not going to get stung. But keep your distance, just in case.
While cicada killer wasps are not as scary as their name suggests, it is still not pleasant to have a wasp flying around your home that looks like it is large enough to carry you away. Fortunately, when you have year-round pest control from Thomas Pest Services to protect your home and family from bugs that actually ARE dangerous, the side benefit is that we'll take care of these scary looking wasps as well. With no problem at all.