Small Town News

Cicada Killers are beneficial bees

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Our office has received numerous phone calls this past week on an extremely large wasp that is nesting in a hole in the ground. These are not Africanized Bees or "Killer Bees." Africanized bees look just like our native bees, except they are extremely aggressive. The Cicada Killers are actually one of the beneficial insects.

Although female Cicada Killer Wasps rarely sting unless disturbed, homeowners may become alarmed or frightened because of their very' large size and ioraging habits in unwanted areas. The wasps become a nuisance when they dig holes in lawns, flower beds, gardens and golf courses, kicking out a six to eight inch diameter horseshoe-shaped pile of soil around the entrance. The male has especially aggressive territorial behavior, but does not sting. Females, if bothered, can give a painful sting. Normally the female wasps are not aggressive and control is rarely needed except in unwanted places.

These wasps are very different than the social wasp (hornets, yellow jackets and paper wasps). Cicada killer females use their sting to paralyze their prey, cicadas, rather than to defend their nests. The wasps feed on flower nectar while the immature or larval stage feeds primarily upon cicadas that are brought to the burrow by the adult.

These wasps are commonly seen in the summer flying around the lawn, shrubs and trees searching for cicadas. Cicadas are captured, paralyzed by their sting and taken back to feed the young. Cicadas are very-large insects, sometimes called "locusts". They sing extremely loud in trees during the summer.

Cicada killers over winter as larvae in the soil. Pupation occurs in the spring and adults emerge in mid-June to early July. Emergence continues throughout the summer. Females feed, mate and dig burrows for several weeks before preying on cicadas.

There may be many individuals flying over a lawn, but each female digs her own burrow six to ten inches deep and one-half inch wide. The ground burrowing wasp may be found in sandy soils to loose clay in bare or grass covered banks, berms, hills as well as raised sidewalks, driveways and patio slabs. Some may nest in planters, window boxes, flower beds, under shrubs, ground cover, etc Nests usually are made in the full sun where vegetation is sparse and soil is well drained.

If control of these wasps is necessary- due to the location of children's play area or if there is an extremely large number of them flying around in search of cicadas; the following control measures should help. You can apply carbaryl (Sevin), dust into and around the nest entrance. If the entire lawn is infested you may try a spray of the same product over the entire infested area. Repeat treatments may be needed. The best time for applying any insecticide to the wasp nests is after dark when the female wasps are in their nest and it should be cooler. Always be extremely careful when working around wasps.

Remember, before using any insecticide, always read and follow all label directions and precautions.

TREE DISEASE:

Despite adequate rainfall this year, the effects of recent droughts are stil' being observed on ornamental shade trees in Henderson County. I have received a number of phone calls recently from people who either have lost or are losing oak trees. A majority of these calls originate from the Cedar Creek Lake area. Observations of dead and declining trees indicate that in most cases no single factor, but a combination of factors are involved in the tree deaths. Age and condition of tree, soil environment, root development and cultural practices contribute to poor tree vigor as will applications of weed killers applied around trees. Some of the trees that are being lost appear to already have been in a declining state of vigor to start with. Usually the first symptom noticed by the tree owner is a general browning of leaves from leaf tips and margins inward. This may occur rapidly (2 - 3 days) on one branch or the entire tree. In a lot of cases the tree is dead in less than a week.

Many of these trees are in the general area of where a new home or other structure has been built with the past 5 years. Heavy equipment has damaged the root system. Digging of water, sewage, electrical, gas or other lines have damaged parts of the root system. Buildings have been built or at least concrete poured over large areas of the tree's drip line. Soil has been removed or added around the tree. All of these items change the tree's environment. Trees are extremely sensitive to the change of their environment.

All of these things create stress upon a tree. Tree stress results in a couple of diseases - neither of which is controllable - they are only preventable.

I lypoxylon Canker is one fungal disease that is commonly associated with oak trees that are in a high degree of stress. The disease is first evident as a die-back of one or more branches. The foliage of the diseased limbs turn yellow and dies. This die-back continues from branch to branch through the stem until eventually the tree dies. This may require one or more years depending upon the environment and amount of stress experienced by the tree. Near death or slightly after the death of the tree the outer bark sloughs off, exposing large masses of brown, dusty one celled spores. Within a few weeks these spores are gone and a grayish surface is visible. This is covered with numerous black fruiting structures.



Copyright 2010 The Malakoff News, Malakoff, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 The Malakoff News Malakoff, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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