fly with red eyes and black and white stripes

She oviposits an egg on the legs of the prey and seals off the cell. The female drags the Cicada through the entrance opening, down the tunnel and into the nesting chamber. The Cicada is often held upside down and straddled, after which the wasp takes off and glides home to the nest (Fig. This relatively huge prey is laboriously dragged up a tree or tall plant. Both of these very large insects tumble to the ground where the stinger is then utilized to paralyze the Cicada.

The female wasp strikes and stuns the Cicada which reacts with a loud shrieking buzz. The Cicada is used as food to rear the next generation of wasps. Females fly around trees, shrubs, meadows and open areas in search of their only prey species-Cicada species (see fact sheet FS220). BiologyĬicada Killer Wasps feed on tree sap and flower nectar as individual adults. For these cosmetic and psychological reasons, the wasp could be considered a turfgrass pest, although this insect is essentially harmless. Large soil particles are removed with mouth parts and then shoveled through their legs in a dog-like manner.Īggregations of individual tunnels can easily exceed 100 in number and last for many years. They excavate noticeable amounts of soil around their tunnel entrances and create unsightly mounds. Lawns, gardens, flower beds and athletic fields are other preferred nesting sites. If accidentally stung, there is no cause for alarm except for individuals who are especially sensitive to bee or wasp stings.įemale adults often dig their tunnels in a backyard sandbox, a sand trap on the golf course or in a nice sandy picnic area outdoors. Her stinger is primarily used to paralyze prey and rarely used in defense except when trapped in clothing or disturbed by lawn equipment. Females are less commonly observed but when captured or mishandled can inflict a mild sting. Male wasps may aggressively fly right up to people in defense of their nest even though they cannot sting. These wasps can become an unwelcome nuisance as males constantly patrol their underground nesting sites. Homeowners, golfers and picnickers often becoe frightened when in close proximity to Giant Cicada Killers. All four yellowish wings are held straight out when at rest, which is in contrast to most other wasps which fold their wings along their body.

All six legs are brightly colored an orangish-red. Most of the head and parts of the thorax are a dull red (see Fig. Cicada Killer Wasps have a thick-waisted black body that is striped with yellow across the middle section (thorax) and the first three segments of the rear section (abdomen). Both sexes are strikingly colored black, red and yellow which is similar to the warning coloration of common social wasps like yellow jackets which do possess painful stingers. The adults range in size from 1½ to 1¾ inches in length for females and about 1 to 1¼ inches for males. Identification of this insect is fairly easy just judging on size alone.

Fly with red eyes and black and white stripes