Cicada Killer
Sphecius speciosus
This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:
Birmingham, Alabama
Bryant, Arkansas
Mena, Arkansas
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Niantic, Connecticut
Jacksonville, Florida
Leesburg, Florida
Palm Bay, Florida
Tavares, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Peru, Illinois
Coatesville, Indiana
Greenville, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Newburgh, Indiana
Rising Sun, Indiana
Davenport, Iowa
Hyattsville, Maryland
Coldwater, Michigan
Sturgis, Michigan
Glendive, Montana
Lincoln, Nebraska
Maplewood, New Jersey
Staten Island, New York
Wykagyl, New York
Concord, North Carolina
Winston Salem, North Carolina
Bowling Green, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Bray, Oklahoma
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Chapel Hill, Tennessee
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Chandler, Texas
Dallas, Texas
De Leon, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Friendswood, Texas
Gorman, Texas
Jacksonville, Texas
San Antonio, Texas(2 reports)
Southlake, Texas
Tooele, Utah
Staunton, Virginia
Beloit, Wisconsin
show all
vossner
ruckerlady
flemtech1
Arkansas until today. I would love to believe that these creatures do not sting, but I'm certain by the looks of them that they do. I found it quite interesting that the one I saw today had lined up 8 cicada, all facing down, lined up in a row, in a gap between my concrete drive and some brick pavers.........he/she was very precise because they were actually in order from small to large.
Please advise if anyone has been stung by one of these and do you think they could harm my Kat
wakingdream
n00b
beentaken
alblueheron
The cicada killer feeds on the yearly cicadas, not the periodical species. The periodical species emerges, mates, and most of them die before the cicada killers emerge.
The yearly cicadas also spend ten or more years feeding on the roots of trees, but they hatch asynchronously so that there is a brood of cicadas each year.
A female cicada killer will provide her female eggs with two to four cicadas, while she will provide her male eggs with a single cicada.
A single cicada killer will kill upwards of 100 cicadas in her lifetime, and a colony may be composed of 100 or more cicada killers - that is 10,000 cicadas that are not available to slash the twigs of trees and whose offspring will not be feeding on the roots of those trees for ten to twelve ye... read more
themikeman
panicum
:p
joylily514
said
Ckelgo
Visited Centennial Park in Peru, IL, and they were everywhere! I had never seen the mounds until I came to that park. (Approx. 1,000 sq. ft. area had about 15 mounds)
I thought someone spilled dry cement, but one of my cousins said they were ground hornet mounds. When I saw them flying around, I knew they were the same as what we had at home (Beloit, WI).
Now that I saw the regional list, it seems that these ground hornets, or cicada killers as they are also known, Wisconsin is the farthest north that they have been seen. They don't appear to be aggressive, and are just a wonder to see! I had never seen a be... read more
babybluesntn
This is a nasty looking creature--the pictures already posted are exactly what mine look like but my dirt mounds are different.
I researched to find out what it was, and of course, found out that it is called a cicada killer. There is a good informational article on the U. of KY website under Entomology if you desire to know more.
Karen
Vee8ch
Cicada killers, or giant ground hornets, are among the largest wasps in Florida (up to 40 mm in length). The females of the common Florida species, Sphecius speciosus (Drury), hunt Tibicen spp. cicadas and can dig 4-foot burrows in the ground with several branches and cells..........
The fertilized female begins the reproductive cycle by making burrows 0.3 to 1.2 meters in length, with numerous branches and cells. The front legs rake the soil which is pushed out behind the female with her hind legs, resulting in a large dirt mound. From one to four cicadas per cell are deposited depending on the size of the cicada..........
One egg is placed on the last cicada in each nest. ... read more