A Near Entomologic Disaster
Our backyard’s sandlot is one of the biggest surprises with our new house, even bigger than the Match the Light Switch to the Light Fixture game. Not that we were surprised to find the lot when we moved in. It’s about 40 x 25 feet, and hard to miss. We knew it was there, we just didn’t know what to do with it.
The previous owners apparently enjoyed entertaining people. We entertain people too, but our entertainment generally involves chicken nuggets or bouncy houses. Their entertainment involved fancier food* and more sophisticated activities. The most outlandish bit of entertainment they added is a sand volleyball court in the backyard.
Since I’m not a volleyball player and our family rarely joins in groups large enough to field competing volleyball teams, I had no idea what we’d do with the giant sand pit in our backyard. Fortunately, the kids knew exactly what to do with it. I forgot that sand is a child magnet, rivaled only by sugary-snacks in its drawing power. In fact, a lot full of sugar granules might be the only thing more attractive to the children. They all love playing in the sand, and I’ve encouraged this get-them-out-of-the-house habit. We’ve given them various tools for digging, erected a playhouse on one end of the lot, and a swing set on the other end of the lot. What could possibly drive them off their sandlot? Besides the blistering hot sun radiating off the scalding grains of sand?
These could, at least at first. That is a sand wasp, and our sandlot is full of them. These inch-long creatures build nests in the sand, and emerge in the hot sun. Dozens of these things buzz around lot from sun up till late afternoon, usually staying inches above the surface. The buzzing can sound like an electric transformer.
Our family was initially concerned about these things, or at least the adults were. The kids usually didn’t notice them, and if they did, Abbie just pointed to them and yelled, “fly!” Ellie and I were terrified that our children were playing alongside these things that looked like wasps, and were actually called “wasps.” Then we realized our children were playing alongside these things, but not getting stung. A little Internet research revealed that sand wasps are almost harmless to humans. They stay away from people, and you’d have to actively try to pick one up before it would sting you. While picking up a wasp sounds like something our kids would do, they’re not nearly coordinated enough to succeed yet. Even in the worst-case scenario where one stung you, they’re solitary wasps so it’s not like an entire nest would come after you.
Once we started watching them, they turned out to be fascinating creatures. They constantly dig holes in the sand, and occasionally drag a victim insect inside. This is especially gratifying when that insect is a cricket.
About the time we started getting comfortable around the sand wasps, we noticed this creature hanging out to the side:
You can’t tell size from these pictures, but that wasp is easily twice the size of our friendly sand wasps. I’ve seen three of these sitting around the sandlot, buzzing each other, and taking to the air when someone walked close. These seemed threatening if for no other reason than their stingers must be the size of Ian’s pinky.
A little more Internet research revealed that these are cicada killer wasps. They’re essentially a super-sized version of the sand wasp, also enjoying heat and sand, also solitary, and also relatively harmless. These guys fly higher off the ground than sand wasps, and they hunt larger prey, such as cicadas.** Ellie wasn’t firmly opposed to their existence until I told her they kill cicadas; now she’ll give them a chance.
Our family and the wasps are now sharing the backyard. If they stay out of our way, I’ll pretend they don’t exist.
Our dog has the right idea.
* I’m guessing they served breaded chicken bites as hors d'oeuvres.
** Duh.
The previous owners apparently enjoyed entertaining people. We entertain people too, but our entertainment generally involves chicken nuggets or bouncy houses. Their entertainment involved fancier food* and more sophisticated activities. The most outlandish bit of entertainment they added is a sand volleyball court in the backyard.
Since I’m not a volleyball player and our family rarely joins in groups large enough to field competing volleyball teams, I had no idea what we’d do with the giant sand pit in our backyard. Fortunately, the kids knew exactly what to do with it. I forgot that sand is a child magnet, rivaled only by sugary-snacks in its drawing power. In fact, a lot full of sugar granules might be the only thing more attractive to the children. They all love playing in the sand, and I’ve encouraged this get-them-out-of-the-house habit. We’ve given them various tools for digging, erected a playhouse on one end of the lot, and a swing set on the other end of the lot. What could possibly drive them off their sandlot? Besides the blistering hot sun radiating off the scalding grains of sand?
These could, at least at first. That is a sand wasp, and our sandlot is full of them. These inch-long creatures build nests in the sand, and emerge in the hot sun. Dozens of these things buzz around lot from sun up till late afternoon, usually staying inches above the surface. The buzzing can sound like an electric transformer.
Our family was initially concerned about these things, or at least the adults were. The kids usually didn’t notice them, and if they did, Abbie just pointed to them and yelled, “fly!” Ellie and I were terrified that our children were playing alongside these things that looked like wasps, and were actually called “wasps.” Then we realized our children were playing alongside these things, but not getting stung. A little Internet research revealed that sand wasps are almost harmless to humans. They stay away from people, and you’d have to actively try to pick one up before it would sting you. While picking up a wasp sounds like something our kids would do, they’re not nearly coordinated enough to succeed yet. Even in the worst-case scenario where one stung you, they’re solitary wasps so it’s not like an entire nest would come after you.
Once we started watching them, they turned out to be fascinating creatures. They constantly dig holes in the sand, and occasionally drag a victim insect inside. This is especially gratifying when that insect is a cricket.
About the time we started getting comfortable around the sand wasps, we noticed this creature hanging out to the side:
You can’t tell size from these pictures, but that wasp is easily twice the size of our friendly sand wasps. I’ve seen three of these sitting around the sandlot, buzzing each other, and taking to the air when someone walked close. These seemed threatening if for no other reason than their stingers must be the size of Ian’s pinky.
A little more Internet research revealed that these are cicada killer wasps. They’re essentially a super-sized version of the sand wasp, also enjoying heat and sand, also solitary, and also relatively harmless. These guys fly higher off the ground than sand wasps, and they hunt larger prey, such as cicadas.** Ellie wasn’t firmly opposed to their existence until I told her they kill cicadas; now she’ll give them a chance.
Our family and the wasps are now sharing the backyard. If they stay out of our way, I’ll pretend they don’t exist.
Our dog has the right idea.
* I’m guessing they served breaded chicken bites as hors d'oeuvres.
** Duh.
posted by Matt at
10:57 PM
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