Rewilding My Lot

This impressive looking insect is an Eastern Cicada-Killing Wasp (Sphecius speciosus), which is one of the largest wasps in the USA. They’re considered beneficial because they prey on cicadas, which in turn can damage trees. Despite their size (females are up to 2 inches long), they are unlikely to sting humans, and in fact the males don’t even have stingers.

This particular one has been lingering near my Frogfruit, but I don’t know if male or female. If male, it’s probably looking for a mate. If female, it’s possibly scoping out a burrow location.

These wasps don’t eat cicadas themselves — the adults feed on nectar — but the females capture cicadas to place in their burrows for future larvae to eat.