Hornet?
January 10, 2010
Saw this on the Grand Canyon rafting trip in 2008, my friend may have submitted it before, but I’m unable to locate it
Ava
Arizona
Western Cicada Killer
Hi Ava,
This is a Paper Wasp in the genus Polistes, but the markings do not exactly match any of the species represented on BugGuide, though two species that are found in Arizona, Polistes apachus and Polistes arizonensis, has a similar coloration. According to BugGuide, the wasps in the genus Polistes are: “Large social wasps with long legs, usually brown, yellow markings typically less extensive than yellow jackets and hornets (Vespinae). Visit flowers. Build distinctive paper nests attached to a surface by a stalk. No outer covering of cells as in the Vespinae. Males have curly antennae and yellow faces, exception being P. annularis males, which have red faces just like females.“ The angle of your photo isn’t exactly right to be certain, but it appears your specimen might have a yellow face indicating it is a male. We will try to get Eric Eaton’s opinion on this posting.
Update: June 8, 2010
Thanks to a comment by Ron Hennessey, we now know that this is a heretofore unrepresented species on our site, a Western Cicada Killer, Sphecius grandis, which is well represented on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 11 January 2010 § ‡ ° Big waspy stingy looking bug
August 28, 2009
Hi ‘bugman’,
While taking my kids to a nearby beach on Lake Erie, we came across many ground burrows of these “Big waspy stingy looking bugs”, as my 8 year twins called them. I think they may be some type of Scoliid wasps, judging from the pictures on your site. We were wondering if there was any need to fear them, they seemed docile enough. They were about 2-21/2 inches long.Thanks for looking at our letter.
Joe S.
western Erie county, PA
Cicada Killer
Hi Joe,
Thanks so much for indicating in your letter that these Cicada Killers Wasps seemed docile. Female Cicada Killers are much more intent on supplying their underground burrows with paralyzed Cicadas than with stinging humans. Though a female Cicada Killer might sting a human, we have never received a substantiated report of them doing so. Male Cicada Killers that cannot sting are often aggressive about defending territory, but they are perfectly harmless. Your photos are wonderful.
Cicada Killer
¶ Posted 29 August 2009 § ‡ ° Yet another cicada killer
August 12, 2009
My technique for getting interesting photos is to NEVER leave the house without a camera slung around my neck. I don’t always get excellent results, but at least I do get a lot of shots.
This cicada killer was buzzing around the neighborhood and I was able to follow it to a garage with a ladder conveniently close by that let me follow it into the gutter….
Pat
southwest lower michigan
Cicada Killer with prey
Hi Pat,
Because the Cicada prey weighs so much more than the Cicada Killer predator, the Cicada Killer often cannot take off from the ground to fly back to her burrow, so she climbs to a high spot and glides in the direction of her burrow. We suspect that is the reason you captured this photo in the gutter. Your documentation of a Cicada Killer and her prey is quite a score. Thanks for sending it to our site. We would much rather post photos of living insects than dead ones.
inch-long flying, burrowing insect
August 12, 2009
we came outside to find a huge mound of dirt between my flagstones. I couldnt imagine what made this. Later in the day I saw the insect. It has wings and six orange legs, antenna, yellow stripes around it’s black body in the back. It was burrowing this hole. Digging in the dirt. Going inside and coming back out and digging backwards with its legs as if it was swimming.
Ken and Lisa Weinstein
North Salem, NY
Cicada Killer
Hi Ken and Lisa,
This is a Cicada Killer, a wasp species that preys upon Cicadas. The female wasp, as evidenced by your photograph, digs a burrow and provisions it with stung and paralyzed Cicadas that form a food source for her brood. Male Cicada Killers often act in an aggressive manner when defending territory, but male Cicada Killers do not possess a stinger and are not a threat. The female Cicada Killer does have a stinger, and might sting a human if provoked, but female Cicada Killers are not aggressive and we have never received a substantiated report of a Cicada Killer stinging a person. The nesting period may last several weeks at which time your visitor will either die or leave the area.
¶ Posted 12 August 2009 § ‡ ° What’s this bug??
August 10, 2009
Hi,
I’m wondering what kind of bug this is. My parents have them burrowing in the sand/dirt on between the sections of their cement driveway. This is the first they’ve seen these bugs and we’re all very curious to what it is. The look like a huge wasp. Unfortunately the bug in this picture is dead, we have a family member that is deathly allergic to wasps.
The photo was taken on August 9th. Sorry the second picture is blurred, but its to show size comparison next to a quarter.
Just Curious
North-Central Illinois
Cicada Killer: dead because of perceived threat
Dear Just Curious,
This is a Cicada Killer. The wasp in your photo appears to be a female, and only the females of the species will sting. Males have no stinger but are the more aggressive sex, as they defend territory. We have never received a substantiated report of anyone being stung by a female Cicada Killer as they are not an aggressive wasp. Most solitary wasps are very reluctant to sting. The female Cicada Killer saves her stings for paralyzing Cicadas which she drags to her underground burrow to provide food for her young. We consider this an example of Unnecessary Carnage and we hope our response has educated you as to the nonthreatening nature of Cicada Killers. We hope this will prevent any further Unnecessary Carnage.
Cicada Killer Wasp
August 9, 2009
Thank you for your very informative website. I recently moved to the country in North Texas and am in awe of the wide variety of insects here. Since I never kill any living thing that is not a threat I have been watching these interesting insects flying around my deck for the past month. However, one of my dogs is a very curious girl and thinks that anything that flies or that she can sniff out and dig up underground is fair game for play and sometimes a meal, I would like to know if these wasps are poisonous? Unfortunately, I can’t always get to her in time to stop her destruction.
Christie
North Texas
Cicada Killer
Hi Christie,
Thank you for your inquiry. Male Cicada Killers are quite territorial, but they are all bluff since they do not possess stingers. Female Cicada Killers are not aggressive, but they do have stingers and they might sting, though we have never received a substantiated report of a sting. Female Cicada Killers sting Cicadas, and they cannot be bothered intimidating humans. Can your dog be stung? It is possible, but not likely.
¶ Posted 09 August 2009 § ‡ ° Cicada Killer Wasp?
August 6, 2009
These wasps like to rest on the walking trail and just fly a few feet away when a walker passes. There are only a few.
KaeruSr
East Windsor, CT
Cicada Killer
Dear KaeruSr,
You are correct. This is a Cicada Killer
¶ Posted 07 August 2009 § ‡ ° Cicada Killer
August 5, 2009
Hello 
I recently found this interesting wasp looking bug hanging from my balcony holding a cicada. Normally, I would not have known what the heck was going on here (some kind of inter-species fling??) But just that morning, I had read an article in the local newsletter about these interesting bugs, and decided to take a few pics. The article was lettiong members of the community know to not kill them or try to exterminate them, that they are a “good bug” (as most are, but still we have to squish or swat them out of fear)
After perusing your site for the identification of a house centipede (a very scary million-legged beast that was crawling around with our son on the floor. Unfortunately, after reading about it, I would have tried to put it outside to battle our spider problem…) I thought about the pictures I had taken of the cool Cicada Killer in action. I thought that they would be a great addition to your site and some good education for paeple that may not know about them. Sadly, the Cicada Killer could not keep holding on to the balcony with one leg, and dropped his prey, so I got a pic of that too (quite a pretty cicada actually).
Enjoy and keep doin what youre doin, and thanks for my newfound interest in bugs
Cool Bug Lover
Washington, DC
Cicada Killer and Annual Cicada
Dear Cool Bug Lover,
Thanks for sending us your great food chain images of a Cicada Killer and an Annual Cicada. Female Cicada Killers are used to struggling with their large ungainly prey and we suspect she eventually arrived at her burrow with her catch. The Cicada Killer takes advantage of gravity by climbing trees and other tall structures and gliding toward the nest with the prey in tow. We are also gladdened to hear your local newsletter is promoting tolerance of Cicada Killers which terrify many of our readers.
Cicada Killer and Annual Cicada Prey
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