Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp - Sphecius speciosus
Dog-Day Cicadas of North America be warned! There is a bounty on you!! These powerful warriors are looking to claim with hesitation, but not strictly for themselves!
This specie made itself known to me via dramatic entrance when I was just about to leave High Park. The first individual literally zipped right in front of me with hurried speed into her mound of dirt! After recovering from the many skipped heartbeats I had, it was time to investigate this striped warrior of the woods...and what I found among the grasses was staggering. A legion of large, solitary Wasps such as I have never seen before! In terms of observations, the first thing which is immediately noticeable is their sheer size! This specie is easily that largest I have personally seen, especially for a North American Hymenopteran insect. For a direct comparison, it looms much larger than the next best Wasp: the dark-red and brownish European Hornet! With such large size and an imposing look, Cicada-Killer Wasps are often called "Sand Hornets", despite not being True Hornets (of the Vespa genus) at all. In addition, the shape and build of all Cicada-Killer Wasps are similar, so once you see one, you'll know exactly what to look for: very large and intact front-facing eyes, enlarged legs (particularly the rear legs), unique patterning on the abdomen, and a large size.
In terms of homing and location, although Cicada-Killers are a solitary Wasp species, there was a large group of at least 20 or so individual Wasps living on a torn stretch of grass near High Park's entrance. While once the grass may have been lawn-like, the digging activity required for the construction of various burrows effectively turned the range into a Wasp minefield! The dug up soil shown in these pictures is larger than an open palm, and the entrance of each nest is around the size of a nickel. The nests' entrances, tunnels and chambers all have to be substantially big given the exclusive quarry that females provision their larvae with: fully grown adult Dog-Day Cicadas, freshly stung and paralyzed! While a grounded Bug is an easier target, these Wasps are strong enough to capture a Dog-Day Cicada mid-flight and land with it in a (relatively) high location. A mother Wasp will diligently haul her catch beneath her body until she dives down her burrow. There needs to be enough room for the mother Wasp to navigate her burrow in the underground while also pulling a Cicada through the tunnels using her powerful legs, and occasionally her mandibles. Of course, it's never that easy, especially with rival females nearby and males always butting in.
On the subject of male Cicada-Killers, although this specie looks imposing and the individuals photographed here were aggressive buzzers, they are actually very inquisitive. The consensus seems to indicate that this is a behavior more so attributed to males (a few of which are photographed here) in that they are investigating an intruder within their territory and are discerning if it is a female who is ready to mate, or another male looking to challenge them. Of course, male Wasps cannot truly sting - similar to the Five-Banded Thynnid Wasp males, they carry a pseudostinger - but the females sure can! While their name may give them a ruthless reputation, and the female Eastern Cicada-Killers can indeed sting, their sting may not be as painful as one might believe. In a similar fashion to smaller Digger Wasps, a Cicada-Killer is also not likely to sting unless handled roughly, their nest is disturbed, or you are their quarry insect of chance; a Cicada in this case. Using other recorded Cicada-Killer species in Justin O' Schmidt's, "Sting of the Wild", as a gauge (his examples were S. convallis and S. grandis), we can estimate this specie's sting having a pain level of between 1 to 1.5 out of 4. In essence, this is mild pain approaching moderate pain, but it is not declarative certainty for today's featured insect. Yellowjackets and the aforementioned European Hornet meanwhile tend to hover on a rating of 2 with their stings, indicating moderate pain upon defending themselves. Of course, those Wasps' sting power is designed for a completely different purpose compared to the more solitary Eastern Cicada-Killer. Regardless, it is for the best to not agitate any Wasp into stinging you.
Pictures were taken on August 3, 2025 in High Park with a Google Pixel 8a. By now, or at least by mid-September, the larvae are all sealed up and will patiently wait until next summer arrives. You can also see this specie in action via this video blog post.
