Intruder Alert! A large winged stingered problem. (Page 1/1) maryjane JUL 09, 02:38 PM Saw this appear overnight a few days ago. Thought it might be a bug like maybe a big beetle, maybe a small rodent. (pretty sure it wasn't a tiny beaver that I may have inadvertently brought from E Texas) Considered a small Graboid but even for the larval stage, the hole is too small. The cup is for scale.. The hole is approx 1 1/4" in diameter. It's just to the right of the sidewalk that leads to the swimming pool 15' away. [img]https://images.fiero.nl/userimages/maryjane/KIMG0370%5B1107%5D.jpg[/img I placed a large clear glass bowl over the mound and hole for a couple of days & nights but never saw anything come out but this morning, I noticed, on the opposite side of the same sidewalk, another but larger mound of fresh disturbed soil that at first, I assumed to be yet another fire ant mound, but I soon found out differently. As I wathed, up came crawling a large wasp, about 3/8" thick, 1 1/4" long, black with yellow stripes...............toting a cicada along and quickly the wasp and cicado disappeared down a hole in the ground. Cicada Killer!! Yes, I know, mostly harmless to humans but 'black and yellow/scare the poop out of a fellow' right? I kinda brushed the soil a bit, and 3 different big mean looking wasps emerged to repair their lairs.. They seemed to be ok with me as long as they are crawling around, but once they have enough, they take to the wing and it's then time for me to leave the general area. A few buzzes at my head the proverbial 'shot accross my bow' so to speak and I'm gone bye bye. Otherwise, they seem to be completely fearless of anything around them. Even my big ol mean, grew up in the woods Calico cat gives those curious mounds of new dirt a wide berth... She's pretty brave but she ain't dumb. (I do have tho, a 20+ year old, still sealed quart of malathion ..fear that!!) Patrick JUL 09, 11:35 PM quote Originally posted by maryjane: They seemed to be ok with me as long as they are crawling around, but once they have enough, they take to the wing and it's then time for me to leave the general area. Were you starting to run when you took this shot? Geez Don, what are you shooting these images with? Max The Chainsaw JUL 10, 12:09 AM Cicada killers usually nest along sidewalks with the grass trimmed down to the dirt. They will usually not nest where the grass is allowed to reach the concrete. We had this issue several years ago at our church where one of the ladies of the church demanded we trim that way. When we found out the trimmed grass made them a perfect home, and she got chased a few times, she insisted we let the grass grow. TheDigitalAlchemist JUL 10, 01:14 AM Awwww, cicada wasps! Love those guys! The size of small aircraft, the hugs they give are SO nice! Wish folks didn’t get SO unhinged and “go after” them. They are just “doin’ their thing”…. williegoat JUL 10, 12:01 PM quote Originally posted by TheDigitalAlchemist: Awwww, cicada wasps! Love those guys! The size of small aircraft, the hugs they give are SO nice! The Pepe Le Pew of the insect world? Smoochy, smoochy... maryjane JUL 16, 10:38 AM quote Wish folks didn’t get SO unhinged and “go after” them. They are just “doin’ their thing”…. Yeah well, life begets life in the usual way. And it doesn't stop with one..........or 2.. New satellite images to follow.