A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Hornet? Giant wasp?

I have 2 flying, HUGE! black and white hornet type things that are living in the garden about 20 feet from my front door. I have no idea what they are, They are 2 inches or so long & 4x the size of a wasp. The abdomin is black and white striped. Very distinct stipes. They are somewhat slow flyers, but boy can I move when they come my way!!I just want to know if they are dangerous to humans or if they are a natural predator to something else. I've been looking up Cicada killers and giant hornets but the pictures are not the same colors or size (these are bigger) BTW http://www.laters.com/insects/hornets.htm website has some useful tips on how to catch (lure) them safely. If anyone has any idea, please let me know, I will try and hide out today with my digital camera and sneak a photo, I'll probably freak out first from being close though!!!hahahaha, thanks in advance!

HI!
I laughed when I saw your post because I have a radio show, that i was writting for and just unintendidly answered your question with my script for tomorrows show. Here ya go
here is a copy of what I wrote:


Yesterday The Tribune, had a very interesting article, concerning a type of bee. The Cicada Killer. I was in a way pleasantly surprised to see this, as I did not think that they were indigenous to this area. Back east where I am from they come out every year, at the same time as the cicadas. If you don’t know what a cicada is those are the bugs that are up in the trees, that make a screeching/scratching sound in the middle of summers hottest days ( kinda like a day time cricket on steroids) . Their calls last for a few seconds, usually growing in intensity, then drop back to nothing. Just to repeat themselves in a few minutes. The cicada killer ( actually a type of miner wasp) can be very scary to witness 1st hand if it gets close enough to you. They are about 5 times the size of a normal wasp. growing to be 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches long. A really big one is close to the same size as a humming bird! They range in color from dark brown to having a beautiful iridescent purplish color, trimmed with orange. These are actually solitary critters, although they sometimes nest in what appear to be colonies. They are pretty particular where they like to nest, and since they all have the same likes & dislikes it is not unusual to find many nests in the same location. But as I was saying they actually each will have their own individual hole in which they will go and catch the cicadas, which are not a small bug themselves. They will grab the big bug and grab it firmly, and sting it until it dies. Then they will carry it back to their hole, and drag it inside. Once they have it down their they will inject their eggs directly into the dead bug, so their young will have a nice meal to eat when they hatch.
Even though they are one of the biggest bees I have ever seen, they are also some of the most timid as far as stinging us humans go. As these bees are very common back east, I still can’t remember a instance of anyone ever getting stung by them. I will admit it is really scary though still, while cutting your lawn and having a couple of hundred of these Bees that like to think they are Arnold Swartzinager buzzing about your body. The thought of getting nailed by these guys is enough just about bad enough to make any sane man wanna run!
They are extremely fascinating to watch however, if you get the chance, check em out! They are most active during the mid to late afternoon, while the cicadas are singing. I guess they use this sound to home in on their prey.
I don’t know where they go but once the cicadas stop singing they will disappear on their own. Usually just to come back the next season to the same location.


I hope this answers your question, if it is indeed the cicada killer they are really cool to watch!

Whoops I forgot to add. :rolleyes: That it is more then likely the bee that you have. The Cicada Killers come in many different sizes and colors! It seems the brighter they are, the bigger they are. I don't know if it has anything to do with the sex of the bee, I tend to doubt it, since most bees I believe are males. But these may be different since they do not have a nest with a "queen".
If you sit an watch them, try to listen for a cicada at the same time, and see if they shoot off to the location where the sound is coming from. That should tell you for certain. Also if you look at the tunnels going into the ground, if there is a furrow about a little bit thicker then a pencil, that is a sign that they have already drug a cicada into the hole.

Thanks soo much for the info!! It sounds like that's what they are, there was one last year, only for a few weeks and then disappeared. He/ she must have found their way back. I was reading up on the cicada killers and dismissed them since the pictures looked like yellow and black bees, but if they come in different colors that would explain everything! I also read that when they lay eggs in the cicada bodies (in the tunnels)that if they drag 2 cicada bodies down there the offspring will be female, if tehy only have the one body to over winter feed on, then it will be a male. The female cicada killers are at least 2x the size of the males here's the website i found...http://homepages.culver.edu/faculty/jcoelho/sphecius.htm.
I think that it's absolutely hilarious that all my questions were in your speech for the next day, like you were writing it knowing that i was going to ask that question!!! How funny, spooky! hahahaha Take care and I'm sure glad to know that aren't using humans as hosts!!! I'd have to wear the bee keepers out fit!!! Now that would be funny too!