natural predators of cicada killer wasps

The male cicada killer wasp is territorial and because he is stinger-less, will scare away people and would-be predators by buzzing around them. They will defend themselves if treated roughly so leaving them to conduct their activities unhampered is a good idea. Pupation and emergence as adults take place in the spring.įemale cicada killer wasps are mild mannered, often going about their business and paying little attention to human movement in the area. In readiness for winter, larvae spin a cocoon around themselves for winter protection. Larvae will feed over a ten-day period, leaving behind empty cicada exoskeletons when finished.

A hatching larva will bore into the paralyzed cicada, feeding on the cicada’s internal organs. The female wasp, knowing the gender of her eggs, will see to it that male eggs each get one cicada as a food source, while the female eggs, because they develop into larger insects than their male counterparts, will get two cicadas each. The nest she digs herself, locating it 12-15 inches below ground in loose dry soil. She then flies the cicada to her nesting area, dragging it underground. The female cicada killer wasp has a stinger that she uses to inject venom into cicadas, not killing the cicadas but instead paralyzing them. The cicada killer wasp gets its name from, as you would guess, killing cicadas. Both males and females are pollinators, moving pollen as they feed on flower nectar. The male is large too, though smaller than the female at 1-½ inches long, and is stinger-less.

The female, at 2 inches long and with three bright yellow stripes on her abdomen, is one of the largest insects in our landscape. The size of the cicada killer wasp is alarming to many people, prompting phone calls and emails to Nebraska Extension Offices with questions of how best to eradicate them. Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County

Natural predators of cicada killer wasps