Killer Hornets!

We were working in our front yard the other day. We'd recently planted some knockout roses and had pruned the Loropetalum, Red Tip Photinias, and other shrubs we have in the flower bed when we noticed some really big hornets hovering low to the ground. We hadn't seen any that big before! They were about an inch and a half long. 

We watched carefully as they began to go down into mounds of dirt (similar to fire ant mounds) around the base of our roses. I knew there were some types of bees that like to make underground nest - like yellow jackets, but I was unfamiliar with these big guys. Noting their color patterns, I jumped on the internet to find out what they were. We certainly didn't need any bees, wasps, or hornets nesting in our yard, especially in the front yard. Research revealed they were Eastern Cicada Killer Hornets. 

The internet said the males don't sting but hover protecting the nests. The females will sting if threatened and their sting packs a powerful punch as my husband found out a couple of weeks ago. That sting had caused his hand to turn red and swell so much that we went to urgent care. They gave him a steroid shot and put him on steroid pills. It took a week for that sting to ease up and his hand return to normal!

Poor Cicada!

This Summer has been a hot one and with the recent emergence of the 7 and 13 year Cicadas, it was no wonder these predators were out in full force. 

As we lay our mulch, we had to take great care to avoid the underground nests and watch for hovering hornets. Our plan was to complete our work then run to Lowes for some hornet spray. We weren't going to let these killer hornets kill Cicadas on our watch!

We bought 3 cans of hornet and wasp spray. Using 2 full cans, we managed to spray all the underground burrows they'd made and kill 3 of those big suckers. 

The internet said these types of hornets like to build their nests in very dry, easy to reach soil so we thwarted their plan by putting down a deep layer of mulch and watering our plants well with the sprinkler. 

The thing that amazes me is that the Cicada is much bigger than the Eastern Cicada Killer Hornet, but God has equipped the hornet with a powerful sting to instantly kill the Cicada. The female hornets take the Cicada down into their burrow and leave it there to feed their freshly laid egg. 

Although it's a cycle of nature, I don't like the prospect of being stung by one of those guys and my husband can attest to their painful sting, so we did what we felt necessary to protect our front yard and front entry way. 

Stinging herself

When I sprayed each hornet we managed to kill, it curled into a ball and began stinging itself until it died. It was certainly odd. As you can see from the photo, the hornet is large but much smaller than the Cicada. 

There are so many intricacies to God's plan for everything in nature. We can't understand them all but they are very interesting to study. 

Hopefully we'll have a very cold winter this year and it will kill off some of the insects and these nasty flying things. 

I like the Cicadas. Hearing their constant humming during the scorching summer days reminds me of my childhood. 

I've also enjoyed holding one and showing one of my grandchildren what they look like. Thankfully one of them really enjoys Entomology. 

If you've never studied God's tiny creatures, I hope you will. Everything in nature is balanced so well and only Our Master Creator could do all that in the twinkling of an eye.  

Dragging away the prey