Sphecius speciosus

Geographic Range

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 nearctic
  • native native
• palearctic palearctic
  • native native

Habitat

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 temperate
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• forest forest
• scrub forest scrub forest

• Other Habitat Features
• urban urban
• suburban suburban

Physical Description

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.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

Development

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 metamorphosis
• diapause diapause

Reproduction

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 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.

• Key Reproductive Features
• semelparous semelparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
  • internal internal
• oviparous 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

Lifespan/Longevity

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.

Behavior

Male cicada killers are very territorial toward other males of the same species, and use naturally occurring geographical barriers as territorial markers. Scientists believe that male cicada killers use the buzzing of their wings to protect their territory from other males. This proposed function for buzzing is further supported by the evidence that the intensity of the buzzing is directly proportional to the body size of the cicada killer wasp. Although aggressive towards other males, cicada killer males attempt to attract females that pass through their territory.

• Key Behaviors
• fossorial fossorial
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• solitary solitary
• territorial territorial

Communication and Perception

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 acoustic

• Other Communication Modes
• vibrations vibrations

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic

Food Habits

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.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • insectivore insectivore
• herbivore herbivore
  • nectarivore nectarivore

• Animal Foods
• insects

• Plant Foods
• nectar

• Foraging Behavior
• stores or caches food stores or caches food

Predation

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.

Ecosystem Roles

Adult cicada killers pollinate flowers when they gather nectar for food. Also, cicada killer wasps helps control the cicada population.

• Ecosystem Impact
• pollinates

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

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

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

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

Conservation Status

Cicada killers are widespread and in little danger of extinction. Thus, currently their survival is not considered threatened.

Other Comments

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.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Nancy Shefferly (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

Kelson Gist (author), Southwestern University, Stephanie Fabritius (editor), Southwestern University.

References

Alcock, J. 1998. Taking the sting out of wasps. American Gardener , 77 (November/December): 20-21.

Coelho, J. 1998. An acoustical and physiological analysis of buzzing in cicada killer wasps. Journal of Comparative Physiology, A. Sensory and Neural Behavioral Physiology , 183: 745-751.

Drees, B., J. Jackman. 1998. A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects . Houston, Texas, USA: Gulf Publishing.

Eason, P., G. Cobbs, K. Trinca. July 1999. The use of landmarks to define terrestrial boundaries. Animal Behaviour , 58: 85-91.

Grzimek, H. 1972. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Volume 2 Insects . New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Holliday, C. 2005. "Professor Chuck Holliday's Cicada-Killer Page" (On-line). Accessed January 20, 2005 at http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~hollidac/cicadakillerhome.html .

Milne, L., M. Milne. 1980. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders . New York City, New York, USA: Chanticleer Press, Inc..