It's July and the noisy cicadas have emerged! With the cicadas come the Eastern Cicada Killer, Sphecius Speciosus. Despite their frightening appearance, these wasp are very beneficial in reducing cicada populations and females only sting when provoked. The cicada killer grows to approximately 1.5 inches in length and has a black abdomen with yellow on the abdominal segments with orange wings. These wasp emerge in the summer months when the cicadas (food) are most abundant. The female cicada killer will dig a burrow that may be up to 10 inches deep and extends 6 inches horizontally. Following the excavation of the burrow, the female will locate a cicada, paralyze it with a sting and bring it back to her burrow. Once the cicada is placed in the burrow, she will deposit an egg on it and upon hatching, the larva feeds on the cicada.
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