 | Cicada Killer Wasp - Sphecius speciosus Order Hymenoptera / Suborder Apocrita / Superfamily Sphecoidea / Family Sphecidae -- cicada killers, mud daubers, sand wasps, sphecid wasps Species: Sphecius speciosus (Drury) -- cicada killer |
| Live adult wasp photographed in the wild at Cumberland County, North Carolina. Please select a thumbnail for larger image. |
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 Adult Male Cicada Killer Wasp: Note facsimile stinger | |||
 Cicada Killer | |||
| This male wasp is perching on flowers overlooking the nesting site of female wasps. The "stinger" clearly visible in the picture above is diagnostic of the male gender - females have retractable stingers. The males cannot sting or deliver venom. Adult female wasps nest in the ground. They capture cicadas, paralyze them with venom, and provision their burrows with the still-living insects. They lay eggs which hatch after several days - the resulting larvae devour their meal, then spin a coccoon and overwinter. In spring, the larva leaves the cocoon to pupate, then hatches into an adult. Adults leave the burrow to mate and begin the cycle again. Adult male wasps die soon after mating, and females die soon after their eggs are exhausted. |
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