It’s hard to tell from that picture but it looks like this then they’re yellow jackets. I think most people mistakenly call them ground hornets, or ground bees though.
Cicada killer wasp Texas
According to Texas A&M University's Field Guide to Common Texas Insects, the giant wasps, referred to as Cicada Killers, are on the move in Texas and can grow up to an inch and a half of length. They are one of the largest species of wasps you can encounter and their primary target is cicadas.
If it was ground hornets there would be a bajillion of them in the nest.
Cicada killer will only have that one. If you dig up the nest you will find a paralyzed cicada in there with an egg laid on it.
They were terrible last year. I haven’t came across them in the same areas they were last year on my property. I got hit 5x in the face in once on the arm last year about this time. Wasn’t feeling so hot the next few hours.
If they are huge and live in burrows in the ground, I would say they are cicada killers. They are very intimidating looking, but never heard of anyone every getting stung by one.
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