Eastern Cicada Killer

Found in well-drained, sandy soils in open areas, lawns, and gardens where they dig burrows.

Adults feed on flower nectar and tree sap; larvae are provisioned with paralyzed cicadas caught by the female.

Solitary wasps where females dig subterranean burrows and hunt cicadas to feed their developing young.

Generally docile toward humans with a mild sting risk only if aggressively handled, and they provide natural pest control by regulating cicada populations.