This is sphecius speciosus, the eastern cicada killer digger wasp. This photo shows a female since only the females kill. Their sting places the cicada into a paralyzed state so that her young will have a fresh meal when they hatch.
But, what should you do if you see these wasps? Most likely…. nothing.
Eastern cicada killer look big and scary but in fact they are truly gentle creatures and good for your garden. They live in holes that they dig in sandy soil. They are friends of trees since they eat cicadas which feed on tree roots. They also help control the cicada population, which may save your ears from some of that awful droning some summer afternoon! Only the female wasps have stingers in this species. She will only sting you if aggressively handled or crushed. (So don't do that!)
In addition to killing cicadas to feed to their young, they also pollinate many flowers, living diet of nectar and sap.
Please do not kill or exterminate this beautiful creature just because it is scary. When I search the web to learn more about them I found many people asking or showing ways to kill them. But they pose no threat to humans or our favorite plants and animals. They live alone, they don't swarm and will never attack unless seriously provoked. The sting of the female (again males can't even sting) is designed to paralyze cicadas, but the few humans who have been stung report it is much less painful than the sting of the honeybee.
They tend to be found in large numbers at this time of year. I enjoy watching the males fight and dance outside my window.
Bees don't always make it to my roof garden but thanks to the cicada killer my strawberries and cucumbers are pollinated and growing bigger each day.
↧