Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus

It’s well documented that a wide range of enemies of insect pests are fueled by nectar. Many beneficial insects wear two hats by serving as both plant pollinators and enemies of other insects. In other words, an effective long-term pest management strategy is to simply plant flowering plants that provide nectar.

I'm interested in observations about cicada killer wasps this season [see "No Killers in Sight as Dog-Day Cicadas Sing," July 6, 2018]. So, when Jeff Webeler (White Oak Gardens, Cincinnati) e-mailed this past Friday about a large numbers of wasps digging in sand backfill behind a retaining wall, I drove at more or less the speed limit to visit the site.