The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
Killer wasps set to make emerging cicadas their prey
When the trillions of periodical cicadas emerge in multiple Midwestern and Southeastern states next month, they will face a unique predator with murderous intent: cicada killer wasps.
Cicada killer wasps, also known as the eastern cicada killer or cicada hawks, are a species of the large digger wasp that preys on cicadas. This is bad news for Broods XIX and XIII, which are set to emerge in mid-to-late May in a rare, double-brood event that hasn’t happened since 1803.
While cicada killer wasps will likely feed on the two broods, they are also known to sting humans and disturb lawns.
Cicada killer wasps are approximately 2 inches long, according to the Smithsonian, and are black or dark brown with colorful yellow markings on their abdomen.
One species, Eastern cicada killers
(Sphecius speciosus), is found east of the Rocky Mountains, per the Smithsonian. Another species, Sphecius convallis, is known as the western cicada killer.
Adult cicada killers appear around late June or July, and are mostly seen around flowers or digging burrows in sandy or light soil, according to the Smithsonian.
True to their name, cicada killer wasps make their nests in the ground and feed cicadas to their young.
According to the Smithsonian, a
female cicada killer finds her cicada prey in trees, and captures them in flight, paralyzing them with a venomous sting. The female will then carry a cicada back to her underground nest, where the paralyzed cicada prey will remain alive while the wasp larvae feed.
To feed her young, the female cicada killer will lay one egg in a cell filled with one to three cicadas, then seal the chamber, leaving enough food for the larvae to survive until pupation. The larvae feed for about two weeks before they make a cocoon, which remain in the cells through the winter. The adults emerge the following summer.
Not a significant threat to humans
Cicada killers are solitary wasps, the Smithsonian says. Since killer wasps make their nests underground, they could cause damage to lawns by burrowing underground.
However, they are considered minor pests and are not dangerous to humans unless they feel threatened.
Males have only a pseudo stinger on their abdomen and cannot sting, according to Texas A&M Extension. They do not attack people, but are territorial around their underground nests or females. Females sting humans only if they are threatened.
Broods XIX and XIII will emerge in a combined 17 states across the Southeast and Midwest, with an overlap in parts of Illinois and Iowa. They will emerge once the soil 8 inches underground reaches 64 degrees, beginning in mid-May and lasting through late June. If the weather is consistently warm and dry, the cicadas will finish mating sooner, which would mean a shorter season.
The two broods last emerged in 1803, when Thomas Jefferson was president.