For two years straight we tried everything from using boiled water at night, insecticides, swatting,and saturating the areas around our sidewalk and walk-out basement where the menacing cicada killers made their nest to no avail. This year my wife came up with the bright ideal of placing decorative stones and mulch in these area to hopefully rid us of these beasts and to add a nice decorative touch of landscaping. It worked!!!! A few of these maniacs tend to over over the area looking around, but then they leave. My poor neighbor who had the same problem, but did nothing, now has a bigger problem because every cicada in town has found his yard a nice place to live. We tried to suggest the same method. Hopefully they will get the hint. It worked for us.

They now seem tobe making mounds in the mulch.they have started in the back yard.and whatever happened to the 7 or 17 year cycle?dont they follow this tooo ?

I am not totally sure we have Cicada Killer Wasp but something very similar in size,color, etc. I have noticed burrowing and neat little sand piles near our front stone walkway. What we are battling are "wasps"
circling in the back of house near a downspout on the second level. The other potential, based on pictures, is we may have European Hornet. The Cicada Killer Wasp and the Europena Wasp look very similar. Tomorrow I am meeting with some members of
the local "Master Gardner" and hopefully they will determine what I am up against. Any comments and/or suggestions welcomed.