Got Wasps? Hornets? Cicada Killers? Bees?
No worries! These intimidating insects is no match for our technical expertise! We are fully equipped to deal with all species of wasps, cicada killers, hornets, bees, and other stinging insects. Call our office at 918-445-2643 for a quick, hassle-free phone quote.
Yellow Jackets - There are a number of wasp species commonly called yellow jackets in Oklahoma. These wasps vary in their appearance, aggressiveness, and habits. As a group, however, yellow jackets are considered very aggressive, although not quite so aggressive as hornets. They can deliver a painful sting and will attack in large groups if their nests are threatened.
Yellow jackets are commonly seen buzzing around trash pails, dumpsters, and discarded beverage containers where they are foraging for food; as well as around their nests, which may be located a considerable distance away.
Most yellow jacket wasps build nests in voids in hollow trees, attics, wall and ceiling voids, soffits, rock walls, abandoned cars, crawl spaces, and other protected areas. They also may build nests in the ground, usually in abandoned animal burrows.
Paper Wasps - There are many species of wasps found in Oklahoma that are commonly called "paper wasps." They vary in their habits and aggressiveness.
As with yellow jackets, there are many species of wasps known as "paper wasps." They get their name from their practice of building nests made of paper that they manufacture from chewed wood and bodily secretions.
Some paper wasp species prefer to build their nests in hollow voids in attics, roof soffits, wall voids, hollow fence posts, and similar areas. Other paper wasp species prefer building exposed nests, usually under overhangs, on window and door frames, or on the undersides of porch or gazebo roofs.
Most paper wasps are solitary, but multiple solitary paper wasps often build nests in the same areas. Most paper wasps are not considered "social" insects because there is no apparent division of labor nor cooperation between nests.
Most species of paper wasps are not very aggressive. They will attack and sting if threatened or provoked, but they are not as territorial as yellow jackets or hornets and are less likely to go out their way to sting someone who isn't bothering them. Paper wasp control varies in difficulty depending on the size and location of the nest and the aggressiveness of the particular specie of wasp.
Cicada Killers - Cicada killers are large, intimidating, solitary wasps that live in the ground and prey on cicadas. Cicada killer wasps (sometimes called "ground or lawn wasps") resemble large yellow jackets, but their behavior is unique. Cicada killers catch and paralyze cicadas, drag them into their nests in the ground, and lay eggs on them. The cicadas then serve as food for the cicada killer's young as they develop. The eggs hatch within a day or two after they are laid, and the larvae feed on the cicadas.
Male cicada killers cannot sting and are harmless, but their aggressive flight scares people. It's all a show. They don't have stingers.
Female cicada killers do have stingers and may sting humans if they feel threatened, but they are generally non-aggressive toward people. Cicada killer control becomes necessary when the insects' powerful, aggressive flying style scares people, when they do damage by creating unsightly holes in lawns or golf courses, or when they are present in great numbers and simply become too annoying to ignore.
