Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- An invasion of giant killer wasps has triggered a security alert at the State Department. But diplomats and workers are being assured that while female giant wasps can inflict nasty stings, they are lethal only to cicadas. Advertisement A memo, released last month, said, "The insects are cicada killer wasps and are not aggressive, do not pose a hazard to people and are considered to be beneficial in most circumstances." But the BBC reports anyone walking barefoot in the state department hallways or offices -- believed to be an unlikely event -- can expect a nasty sting if they accidentally crush a female wasp. The memo warns: "The female wasps do not bother passers-by and do not use their stings to defend nests -- just to paralyze cicadas. Although it is true that if someone accidentally presses a female wasp, with a bare foot, for example, she will sting in self-defense ..." Male cicada killer wasps do not sting and are considered harmless. Cicada killers, also known as giant ground hornets, can reach up to 1.5 inches in length.
