Annual Dog-Day Cicada

Annual Dog-Day Cicadas are singing throughout much of Ohio. Normally this means their nemesis, Cicada Killer Wasps would be seen cruising woodlands and landscapes in search of their exclusive prey. However, I have yet to see a wasp. Could wet spring soil conditions have reduced their numbers?

I posted a BYGL Alert on July 20 regarding Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus) cruising lawns and landscapes in southwest Ohio.  However, since that time, I've been slammed with reports and questions concerning these "giant wasps."  So, I'm reissuing my cicada killer report; it appears there are some very heavy localized populations.

 

These large wasps are the nemesis of Dog-Day Cicadas (Tibicen spp.), so it is no coincidence that they appear on the scene when dog-day cicadas emerge.  Cicada killers are the largest wasps found in Ohio, measuring 1 1/...

Annual dog-day cicadas (Tibicen spp.; family Cicadidae) are emerging in southwest Ohio.  Like periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.; family Cicadidae), these cicadas also develop underground with the nymphs sucking juices from tree roots.  However, periodical cicadas require 13 or 17 years to complete their development with adults emerging en masse in the spring, usually beginning around mid-to-late May and ending in June.  Indeed, eastern Ohio, parts of West Virginia, and the extreme southwest part of Pennsylvania experienced the emergence of Brood V 17-year periodical...