![]() ![]() European hornets ( Vespa crabro) are often mistaken for eastern cicada killers, though at about 3.5 cm (1.4 in) long, they are smaller than the largest cicada killers. The females are somewhat larger than the males, and both are among the largest wasps seen in the Eastern United States, their unusual size giving them a uniquely fearsome appearance. Coloration superficially resembles that of some yellowjacket and hornet species. Description Five female eastern cicada killers, Sphecius speciosusĪdult eastern cicada wasps are large, 1.5 to 5.0 cm (0.6 to 2.0 in) long, robust wasps with hairy, reddish, and black areas on their thoraces (middle parts), and black to reddish brown abdominal (rear) segments that are marked with light yellow stripes. ![]() ![]() The most recent review of this species' biology is found in the posthumously published comprehensive study by noted entomologist Howard Ensign Evans. Cicada killers exert a measure of natural control on cicada populations, and as such they may directly benefit the deciduous trees upon which the cicadas feed. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them. and southwards into Mexico and Central America. This species can be found in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. Sometimes, they are called sand hornets, although they are not hornets, which belong to the family Vespidae. The name may be applied to any species of crabronid that preys on cicadas, though in North America, it is typically applied to this species, also referred to as the eastern cicada killer in order to further differentiate it from the multiple other examples of related wasp species. Sphecius speciosus, often simply referred to as the cicada killer or the cicada hawk, is a large, solitary digger wasp species in the family Crabronidae. ![]()
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