Cicada Killer

Description:

These wasps reach up to 1-½ inch in length. Except for a rusty red head and thorax, they are overall black or rusty in color, with yellow band markings on the abdominal segments. They have russet colored wings.

Habitat:

There were a number of cicada killers flying around the sandy bank of a trickle trough in the greenbelt behind my house.

Notes:

Cicada killer wasps are easy to spot due to their large size; they are typically 1-1/2 to two inches in length. The female cicada killer digs homes for her young in home lawns or in any sandy, bare, well-drained soil exposed to full sun. Although female cicada killers can sting, they usually ignore people and are rarely aggressive. On the other hand, males are often territorial and may act aggressively, but males don’t possess stingers and are completely harmless. Although their name suggests otherwise, the adults of this species are peaceful nectar feeders and occasional pollinators. The females capture cicadas, helping keep the neighborhood a little quieter during the summer. It is the immature, or larval, stage that feeds on the cicadas brought to the burrow by the adult female. After she finds and stings her cicada prey, she turns the victim on its back, straddles it, and drags it or glides with it to the burrow. One burrow may have several underground cells, each one provisioned with a paralyzed cicada (or two or three) and a single egg is laid before the cell is sealed off. This cicada will serve as a food source for the young as it develops. The typical development for a cicada killer is 10-11 months, with the offspring emerging next year.