What’s Black and Yellow and Flies All Over?

There is an insect in town that has everyone buzzing!  This insect is black and yellow and can be up to 1 ½ inches long, and it flies.  Can you guess what it is?

You might be thinking about the Murder Hornet, or Asian Giant Hornet, that has been making the news for the last few months.  Fortunately for us, the Asian Giant Hornet has not been found in Texas!  But we do have a black and yellow wasp that is making the rounds in July and August, the Cicada Killer.

The Cicada Killer, Sphecius speciosus, is a black or rusty colored wasp with yellow band markings on the abdominal segments.  It has russet colored wings and a rusty red head and thorax.  This wasp can be up to 1 ½ inches long.  Cicada killers are native to Texas and can be beneficial because they feed on cicadas.

Cicada killer adults emerge in the summer, feed, mate and produce new nesting burrows.  Females create nests by burrowing into the soil about six inches.  They paralyze cicadas and take them back to the nest, deposit an egg, then cover the nest.  Over winter, the egg develops through several instars before pupating.  Cicada killers have one generation per year.

We are seeing so many of them now because they actively feed, mate, and burrow in July and August when cicadas are active.  The adult cicada killers feed on flower nectar, but they “hunt” for the cicadas to feed the larvae.

Female cicada killers are capable of stinging, but they are rarely aggressive.  Males are more aggressive, but not capable of stinging.

Be on the watch for cicada killers, not because they are murdering hornets, but they are really neat pollinators, make a cool burrow for their eggs, and they feed on cicadas.

For more information about lawn and garden topics, contact the Williamson County AgriLife Extension Office at 512-943-3300 or https://williamson.agrilife.org/.