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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about cicada killer wasps. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to learn more about other animals! Cicada killers were a suggestion from K. Dolphin - thanks for thinking of the arthropods!

Well, it looks like we’re back to talking about wasps again. One of my favorite topics. To be fair, though, once again, I’ve been won over by the interesting details regarding the lives of these wasps. Plus, cicada killers are honestly way more focused on… well… cicadas than on humans or house cats. Their name is apt, because cicada killers do eat cicadas, but the method they do so may surprise you. Adult cicada killer wasps only eat flower nectar or maybe a little tree sap, and they don’t eat much of it! They spend most of their adult lives focused on providing for the next generation of cicada assassins. Heh. I just made that up - they aren’t really called that, but I’m doing it anyway. Male cicada killers emerge in the early summer, followed closely by the females. The males will set up territories that they’ll defend ruthlessly while searching for that special someone. Once a male and female have mated, the male will die some short time after, but the girls have a lot of work ahead of them. They’ll go about building burrows in which they will be laying their eggs. Once they’ve dug out an egg-shaped chamber in their tunnels, the females will make a bee-line… or should I say… wasp-line… to the nearest cicada covered tree.

It was originally believed that cicada killers sought out their quarry via sound, but more research seems to have revealed sight… or at least some other sense plays a key role, as it’s generally female cicadas that are taken. The female cicada killer will quickly sting her target which paralyses the cicada rather quickly and ultimately leaves it in a venom-induced coma. Once subdued, the cicada gets a ride via the female cicada killer all the way back to her burrow. This… is not always easy. To be fair, cicada killers are bigger than your average wasp, but cicadas are still large, heavy insects, so the wasps are not always successful in bringing the cicada back home. Once she is successful, though, she stores the paralyzed cicada in the egg-shaped cavity she excavated and either goes back to find another cicada or lay an egg.

Once an egg is laid within the egg-burrow, the female closes off the burrow and the egg will hatch in about one to three days. The larva inside awakens to a full course meal in the form of a cicada. Too bad for the cicada, the larva will spend it’s time eating non-vital organs first just to keep the cicada alive for as long as possible… oh yeah. There’s that whole nature being brutal again. Anyway, once the larva has finished up its dinner, it basically constructs itself a silk blanket and takes a nap for 10 months before emerging next summer and starting the process all over again. I guess that’s not a bad trade. The female cicada wasp on average will make 15 of these egg-burrows before she succumbs as the cicadas begin to disperse in early September. It’s never been observed that cicada killers overwinter as adults, so it’s a quick and busy few months of adult life!

Cicada killers are found mostly in the United States and east of the Rocky Mountains. As intimidating as they may seem, they’re actually pretty docile. They only really investigate humans who enter their territory, but unless they’re attacked first, they’re not aggressive. Their burrows have been considered a nuisance because the dirt they bring up can kill plants, but honestly cicada killers prefer soil that’s vegetation sparse so they best way to get rid of them is to just encourage vegetation growth. Of course, cicada killers do kind of look like hornets with their yellow and black abdomen patterns, so it’s understandable that people might have a fear response upon seeing one. It’s usually best to give any wasp or wasp-like creature their distance, just to be on the safe side.

For more facts on cicada killers, check out the links in the description. Do these arthropods homicidal tactics freak you out, tell us in the comments? Give a thumbs up for wasps, and thanks for watching Animal Fact Files.