These interesting animals can be viewed in great detail at Professor Chuck Holliay's Cicada-Killer page. Video of many of the activities of these wasps are available there.
The only known communication amongst cicada killers lies in the buzzing created by the wings of the cicada killer. It is believed that this buzzing is used by males to threaten other males who enter their territory. (Coelho, 1998). However, there is obviously more communication between these wasps which facilitates mating as well as the sharing of burrows by different females which has sometimes been reported.
Communication Channels: acoustic
Other Communication Modes: vibrations
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic
Cicada killers are widespread and in little danger of extinction. Thus, currently their survival is not considered threatened.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Adult female cicada killers lay their eggs in July or August. A female implants an embryo inside the body of a cicada, and stores this in a cell in the nest. The larva emerges several days later and feeds on the cicada's body for about two weeks. In the fall, the larva spins a coccoon, in which it spends the winter hibernating. The larva pupates in the spring, and emerges from the pupal stage in early- to mid-summer as an adult cicada killer. Then, it procedes to acquire food and reproduce. Males die after mating, and females die after laying their eggs. by mid- to late- August, all adults die. Each generation of cicada killers lives only a single year.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis ; diapause
Cicada killers are capable of stinging humans, and their large size makes them appear threatening to humans. However, these wasps are very passive and rarely attacks humans. The poison associated with a S. speciosus sting is also relatively harmless to humans. Although they are relatively harmless, cicada killers are sometimes viewed as a pest by humans, especially since they disturb lawns with their nests and burrows.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (bites or stings); household pest
It is unlikely that these wasps provide any direct benefit to human economies. However, humans may benefit from the roles S. speciosus plays in the ecosystem. Cicada killers are pollinators and reduce annoying cicada populations.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Adult cicada killers pollinate flowers when they gather nectar for food. Also, cicada killer wasps helps control the cicada population.
Ecosystem Impact: pollinates
Although adult cicada killer wasps feed on nectar from flowers, their larvae feed on cicadas. Female cicada killers hunt for cicadas and paralyze them by stinging them in the abdominal region. She then drags the paralyzed cicada back to the underground nest where it will be stored as food for the larvae.
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: nectar
Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore ); herbivore (Nectarivore )
Cicada killer wasps, Sphecius speciosus can be found in almost all parts of North America, especially in areas east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. Cicada killer wasps can also be found across Europe.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native )
Cicada killer wasps dig nest tunnels in loose, sandy ground. The nests may contain multiple chambers where eggs of different females will be laid. The surface of the nest are is usually well-exposed to sunlight. Cicada killers can be found in forested areas, grasslands, and even in city parks and urban gardens.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban
Cicada killers spend most of their lives inside the nest. Young do not reach maturity or leave the nest for 10 to 12 months after the fertilized cicada killer egg is laid inside the cicada. Within two months of emerging from the nest, they will mate, produce offspring, then die.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 11 to 13 months.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 13 months.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: unknown (low) hours.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 11 to 13 months.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 13 months.
Typical lifespan
Status: captivity: unknown (low) hours.
Cicada killer wasps range from 30 to 50 mm in length. They have a rusty colored head and thorax with bands of alternating yellow and black colors on the abdomen. Cicada killers have six legs that range from yellow to red in color. They also have large dark-colored wings. Females are equipped with a stinger at the end of the abdomen.
Range length: 30 to 50 mm.
Average length: 30 to 40 mm.
Range wingspan: 30 to 40 mm.
Average wingspan: 40 mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry
The review of the literature did not reveal any predators of the cicada killer wasp. However, it is likely that these wasps fall prey to birds, small mammals, and other insects.
The male attempts to attract females that enter his territory. If his courtship is successfull, then the two mate. The exact details of courtship are unknown, but it appears that one male may fertilize multiple females.
Mating System: polygynous
After mating, females begins digging a nest where they will store cicadas as hosts for their eggs, as well as food for the young cicada killers. A female paralyzes and poisons the cicada by catching it in the air and stinging it on its ventral surface. She then drags the cicada back to the nest where she deposits her egg inside it. A female will capture other cicadas, as well, and store them as food for the larva when it emerges from its host. Females have been known to work collectively to construct a single nest with multiple chambers, in which each female will store her egg and cicadas in an individual chamber.
Breeding interval: These wasps live for a single reproductive season, and so only breed once in their lives.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs from July to August.
Range eggs per season: 1 (low) .
Range gestation period: 2 to 4 days.
Average gestation period: 3 to 4 days.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 10 to 12 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 12 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 10 to 12 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 12 months.
Key Reproductive Features: semelparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
Female cicada killer wasps provide all the parental care for their offspring. They provide a nest and a host for the eggs to be laid in, which serves as food for the larvae when they hatch. Beyond this, adult cicada killers provide nothing for the developing young.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female)
