According to our news partners at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, the cicada killer Sphecius speciosus, a type of burrowing wasps, are often mistaken for hornets, but have significant differences.
European hornets sport primarily yellow stripes on their abdomen as opposed to the black stripes on the cicada killers. Hornets are also commonly after humans, while these wasps can only be found locally hunting cicadas in trees or burrowing in soft ground. They hunt cicadas for their offspring by paralyzing them, and feeding them live to their young.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
“Although the females are equipped with stingers, they usually reserve that weapon for cicadas. Female cicada killers will only attack humans if they are provoked or stepped on”, according to Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden head insect keeper Mandy Pritchard.
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As for the male stingers, once they feel they're in the perfect locale to attract the fairer sex, they tend to get territorial. But Pritchard said the males aren't equipped with stingers, so they're all bark and no bite.
"There's no reason to be afraid of them," said Pritchard. "They don't affect us negatively at all. And they're fun to watch. If you've ever watched one catch a cicada, it's impressive."
Dog day cicadas arrive every year in the Tri-State from mid-summer to early fall.
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