Killing

• 1). Choose an insecticide that is labeled for cicada-killers and fits with your needs. Some insecticides are dusts, others are liquids. Read the instructions thoroughly before you buy to ensure it is the right fit for you, your family, your pets and your property. Insecticides for cicada killers may include pyrethrum, chlorpyrifos, propoxur and others.
  
  
• 2). Apply the product as instructed. This typically requires dusting or spraying around the burrows in your lawn.
  
  
• 3). Follow up if required. You will need to repeat this process the following year, as the cicada killers have already deemed your property suitable and the eggs are still alive and well in the burrows.
  
  

Insecticide-Free Control

• 1). Determine where the burrows are in your lawn. They will generally be located in sunny spots with sandy or well-drained soil.
  
  
• 2). Place a short piece of a stick into the burrow.
  
  
• 3). Spray the burrow and the area immediately surrounding the burrow with a garden hose.
  
  
• 4). Continue spraying periodically to keep the ground wet. Cicada killers don't like overly wet ground. It's not suitable for their eggs and it's harder to dig burrows in. The females typically hatch from June through July and lay eggs after a brief mating ritual in July. Keep the ground wet while females are actively digging burrows, typically July through August, when their cicada prey is active. Most of the wasps you see buzzing about are males, the females are typically busy preparing the burrows and gathering prey. Monitor the females' digging behavior to determine when to soak the lawn.