Eastern Cicada Killer

Fields, meadows, and areas with sandy soils where females can easily burrow, often near trees populated by cicadas.

Adults feed on flower nectar and tree sap. Females hunt and paralyze cicadas to feed their larvae.

Solitary wasps; females dig underground burrows for nesting and provisioning with cicadas. Males are territorial and aggressively patrol nesting areas, though they lack stingers.

Benefits include natural population control of cicadas and pollination by adults. Risks are minimal; females rarely sting unless handled directly, and males are harmless as they cannot sting.