image credit: theatlantic.com The first time I was buzzed by one of these monsters, I totally freaked out. I really don't like bees, wasps and hornets. I have a near phobia fear of them causing me to react rather emotionally when they land on me or buzz very close to me. The large size of these uber wasps is very intimidating. Larger than other wasps, Cicada Killers can be 1 1/8" to 1 5/8" long.
I never knew these critters existed, until I had a few decide to make a home under my driveway a few years ago. This year, I see they are back at the foot of my mail box. We can't get the mail without these insect "drones" buzzing us to check us out and warn us away from their home. My next door neighbor has several nests near her drive too.
I thought it would be good to Muse about Cicada Killer Wasps so that if you should ever run across one, you will at least know what it is. They are ground dwelling wasps that make their appearance sometime in July and hang around through August. Their food of choice? Cicadas, those mysterious insects you hear emitting loud and long buzzing noises during the dog days of summer. Cicada Killers dig tunnels and chambers underground to raise their babies. The females do all the work! When done with their tunnels, they fly off to find cicada victims to bring back to their brood chambers. It's rather gruesome, as the cicada is only paralyzed when deposited in the chambers. A nicely packaged live meal for the hatching grubs to eat. The males spend their time looking for females to "make whoopie", and looking tough and fighting other wasps over "territory". Unlike the females, males have no stingers. They are rather passive-aggressive, preferring to buzz you vs. sting you, but that doesn't mean they won't sting if you aggravate them. It's best to leave Cicada Killers alone, unless they have nested in a location that is inconvenient to your daily living and prevents you from doing what you need to do.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/the-cicada-killers-are-coming/277688/
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef004.asp
I never knew these critters existed, until I had a few decide to make a home under my driveway a few years ago. This year, I see they are back at the foot of my mail box. We can't get the mail without these insect "drones" buzzing us to check us out and warn us away from their home. My next door neighbor has several nests near her drive too.
I thought it would be good to Muse about Cicada Killer Wasps so that if you should ever run across one, you will at least know what it is. They are ground dwelling wasps that make their appearance sometime in July and hang around through August. Their food of choice? Cicadas, those mysterious insects you hear emitting loud and long buzzing noises during the dog days of summer. Cicada Killers dig tunnels and chambers underground to raise their babies. The females do all the work! When done with their tunnels, they fly off to find cicada victims to bring back to their brood chambers. It's rather gruesome, as the cicada is only paralyzed when deposited in the chambers. A nicely packaged live meal for the hatching grubs to eat. The males spend their time looking for females to "make whoopie", and looking tough and fighting other wasps over "territory". Unlike the females, males have no stingers. They are rather passive-aggressive, preferring to buzz you vs. sting you, but that doesn't mean they won't sting if you aggravate them. It's best to leave Cicada Killers alone, unless they have nested in a location that is inconvenient to your daily living and prevents you from doing what you need to do.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/the-cicada-killers-are-coming/277688/
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef004.asp
 Killer wasps eat cicadas. Annual cicadas emerge every year. Periodic cicadas appear every 17 years in the north and every 13 years in the south. image credit: anr.ext.wvu.edu |  Female killer Cicada Killer Wasp with a paralyzed cicada. They attack and transport cicadas that are much bigger than them, depositing the victims in the brood chambers for hatching grubs to eat. image credit: masscic.org |
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