Cicada and Cicada Killers Sightings August 1 - 13, 2006

I've been getting reports of sightings from readers along with pictures and questions from New England and other parts of the counrty. So, to encourage more of this, I have started a new feature "Reader-submitted sightings." If you read this site on a regular basis or found me through a search engine if you think you have a cicada, cicada killer or other insect that you just can't seem to identify, let me know about it and I'll post your message along with a response.

Please keep the cicada and cicada killer sightings coming because they will help with my distribution mapping. When submitting information, please include your name, the town the cicada was sited, and a street address. Also county and date and especially a picture for indentification purposes. I know that sometimes it is not always possible to see a cicada so I will be putting up some sound files in the future in case you hear a cicada but not see it.

The sightings go in descending order. That is the most recent sighting is first.

Note: Starting today, August 7th 2006. Due to the overwhelming number of sitings of Cicada Killers or wasps that resemble Cicada killers, only those with confirmed information such as a digital image or a dead specimen sent to me will be posted on the web site. Some images that I have been receiving have turned out not to be Cicada Killers but other types of digger wasps. This in fact is a good thing because in that way I can assure that the distribution information is accurate at all times.

HOWEVER: Please still send your questions and inquiries on cicadas and cicada killers, I answer all emails!! Just click under the "Contact Me" section below and to the left.

08/13/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted - Stratford, CT.

Address is Short Beach Road. Cicada killers have been active for the past 5 weeks, although much less so over the past 10 days. They've been present for 3 summers. Attached are two photos taken August 6. I missed one shot of a cicada being dragged down a hole - which led me to google wasps and cicada and ultimately identify these critters.

8 nests have been dug within the patio. Morning sun, shady in afternoon. Surface is blue stone, with granite dust underlay.

Overall location is at the mouth of the Housatonic River, roughly 50 yds from mean high tide mark.

Best of luck with your research.

Dick

Hi Dick

Thanks for the picture confirmation. What happens is the following year's brood is laid by the present year's females, that's why they never leave. Not to worry tough, they really are docile wasps. However, don't be surprised if over the years the burrows and their numbers start to grow. But if you are uncomfortable then an insecticide in powder form down the hole of the burrows should fix your problem.

Thanks for the info for my research.

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/11/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted - East Haven, CT.

New Haven County, 9 Wheaton Rd. East Haven CT 06512

This wasps burrow is in our yard. I will try to get photos of the Cicada next time if you would like. Otherwise happy hunting. Ted

Hi Ted

Thanks for the picture. It's really a beautiful thing. I dig cicadas and Cicada killers. No more pics are necessary. I see that your C.K. caught a Tibicen chloromera.

Thanks!
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/10/06 - Cicada Killer Picture - Lexington, Ma.

Here's a picture my friend took at a party we were at last Saturday in Lexington, Massachusetts. The address was 7 Burroughs Road, Lexington. Date was 8/5. I saw on your website that you were looking for pics. It was very cool to watch the wasp attacking the ciccada. Looks like it is a sphecius speciosus to me.

Hi Dan

Thanks for the very cool picture. Your cicada killer has captured a female T. lyricen cicada. She will take it down into her burrow, lay an egg on it and when the new larva hatches, it will eat the cicada. The cicada is indeed alive, it is only paralyzed.

The larva will then pupate for the long winter and emerge next summer as a fully formed cicada killer.

Thanks for the picture and info.

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/08/06 - Cicadas Sighting In Shirley, MA. - Shirley, MA.

found something that looks like this on my front step in shirley massachusetts....not sure which kind it is....but its large...and dead...lol just thought you might wanna know im going to take some pics of it cause ive never seen one before and ive lived in shirley 14 years...lol....

Hi There

yes, a picture would be excellent. I will be able to identify it to species.

If you'd be willing to mail it to me in a tiny box that would be cool too.

Thanks
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/07/06 - Cicada Images from Concord - Concord, MA.

Hello, I live in Concord, Massachusetts and am an avid gardener and nature lover, but I really don't know much about insects. I was poking around the butterfly garden on Saturday, August 5th, and found this strange bug underneath a Tithonia leaf (Tithonia is an annual that butterflies love aka Mexican Sunflower). It was about 1 1/2 inches long. There was also a shell nearby so I figured it had just emerged from the shell and was "drying off" or something similar to what butterflies do when they emerge from the chrysalis. I posted a thread on the Gardenweb website requesting an ID and the knowledgeable people there told me it was a cicada and one person provided a link to your site and suggested that I email you a sighting. I hope this information is helpful for your research. I have always been fascinated by the loud buzzing sound that seems to come from the trees, and had no idea that this the bug that makes those sounds! Susan

Hi Susan

Thanks for the photos. Yes you are correct, this is a species of cicada known as Tibicen canicularis - Dog Day Cicada. They sound like a buzz saw. It is one of the more common species here in Massachusetts. These are indeed the insects that make the sounds in the trees.

Your photos show that this specimen is in what is known as the "teneral" like "general" only with a "t". It has recently emerged from its nymphal skin. It will darken up significantly as the day goes on.

It lives underground as a nymph anywhere from 2 to 9 years (no one knows for sure) going through a series of 5 molts each time becoming a bigger nymph until it finally emerges. It lives above ground only for a month or so where the males make the buzzing sounds in the trees singing for a female. The females are not equipped with any sound organs at all so they are silent.

The other common species here is another Cicada known as Tibicen lyricen - the Lyric Cicada. These sound like an airconditioner that goes on and on and on and are larger than Tibicen canicularis.

If you're so inclined I have provided some links for you from my web site:

Tibicen canicularis cicadas:
http://www.mechaworx.com/Cicada/vspecies2.asp

Tibicen lyricen cicadas:
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/vspecies.asp

Cicada Molting process:
http://www.mechaworx.com/Cicada/behaviors2.asp

As a final note, your specimen is indeed a male. Thank the people from the Gardenweb web site for mentioning me and yes your data is very important for my distribution mapping. Also, I live very close to Concord and was there a few weeks ago in early July. There is a rather large cemetery just off the center which I have been to in my study of cicadas. Cemeteries are ideal places because the trees are old and well-established and there is no undergrowth making them ideal for finding emerging cicadas.

Best Regards Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/06/06 - Sphecius speciosus - Someset, MA.

hi my name is Sharon. I live in Somerset,MA. I have cicada killers in my backyard. My husband caught a female about 2 inches long . He actually saw it leap from a tree while holding a paralyzed cicada. We didnt even know what these things were until we looked on the internet. Neither of us had seen anything like it before. I estimate we have about 20 holes in our backyard and the wasps seem to always be hovering over the holes from about 11am to 3pm then we dont see them. They arent agressive at all ,I was walking by them 2 or 3 times a day while taking my dogs out and they didnt bother me at all. I thought they were some kind of dragonfly or something because they are so enormous. I hope this helps.

Hi Sharon

Thanks for the information. Yes, Cicada killers are a non-aggressive wasp. In fact the males don't have stinger. Its the females that do and they only use them to sting and paralyze cicadas. Again, the cicada is only paralyzed but still very much alive.

I don't know if you've read my page on cicada killers but the female brings the cicadas back to the burrow where she lays an egg on it. Then when the egg hatches, the larva eats the cicada all the while going through its various development stages. Until it emerges the following year as a full adult, to continue the cycle again.

The hovering over the burrows you witnessed could be one of two possibilities.

1). These are males staking out territory and will chase all other males away while at the same time try to mate with any female that wanders in.

2). These are female cicada killers and the hovering you witnessed may be the female cicada killer orienting herself to the location of her burrow. In this way, should she come back with a cicada, she can fly directly to it.

But sometimes this doesn't go as planned (if we are talking about #2 above). If the female lands short of her intended burrow target, she will often climb a nearby object. (This object can be a tree like in your husband's example) or a human leg if your standing there. They do this to gain height in order to fly off again.

If you only have around 20 burrows then this is a small colony. Currently, I'm observing a cicada killer colony in Westford, MA. that has over 60 burrows!

Unfortunately, once a cicada killer colony has chosing a spot you will witness them every year. As the new emerging cicada killers that were larva the previous year never leave.

If you could provide a digital photo and/or a dead specimen I would sure appreciate it as unfortunately, I cannot log this siting into my database without some sort of visual confirmation.

Please let me know if this will be possible and I surely do appreciate it.

Also, in the interim, can you provide the following information information for your siting?

State: Ma.

Town: Somerset

County: ?

Street Address:? (number not important but street is)

Date of siting:

Time:

Thanks for any information you are willing to provide.

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

Note: Sharon was kind enough to send a specimen that her husband killed. Yep, this is a confirmed siting of Cicada Killers. Thanks Sharon!!

08/04/06 - Cicada Information - Chicopee, MA.

Just wondering if you are interested in a find in Chicopee, MA. I found one floating in my pool this morning (I thought it was dead) and retrieved it with a skimmer. I was surprised to find it was still very much alive. Setting it in the morning sun so it could dry its wings, I took a few digital photos as I have never seen one before. Naturally, I began my search on the internet to find out its identity. Thanks to you and the site I was able to find the name Cicada (though I'm not sure on the pronunciation yet... that will be my next internet search). Some of us do really appreciate the time you put into keeping everyone informed about the world around us. If you are interested in the photos I took, you are welcome to them. Just send me a reply when you get a chance and let me know.Thanks again,

Bill Glinka

Hi Bill

I would very much like to see your photos. I am compiling a distribution map of the different species in Massachusetts and I don't have a datapoint yet for Chicopee.

Also if you have the specimen would you mind sending it to me?

Looking forward to your information and thanks for the compliments on the web site

Also proper pronunciation: cicada = sah kay dah or seh kay dah depending on preferrence.

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/04/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted! - Columbia, Md.

We live in Columbia, MD. We have a colony started in our front yard. They are quite frightening looking!

Hi There

Thanks for the information. If they are cicada killers they are really harmless. Would it be possible to get a digital photo throug email? Just for confirmation?

Thanks

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/04/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted! - Lincoln, RI.

Does RI count? Providence County, Cobble Hill Road, Lincoln, RI

They hang out on a sun-baked rock wall (pictures were taken today, a cloudy day, around 1pm), apparently marking the scene by touching their backends to the rocks...

-Allan

Hi Allan

Yes, those are cicada killer males alright. Thanks for the picture for confirmation. The males stake out territory. These guys were probably wanting to get warm and the wall is a nice heat source.

Thanks very much for the new data and yes, Rhode Island does indeed count.

Keep me updated if you notice any female burrows around. Usually where there's males females are surely nearby.

Thanks

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/04/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted! - Ottawa Lake, MI.

hi,

I'm not sure if you are still looking but I believe we've got quite a few of these mounds outside our home..They seem to be just as they we're described in this website I'm afraid to let my 3 yr old son go out & play...please let me know if there is anything we can buy to get rid of them..thanks Cheri / Ottawa Lake, Michigan

Hi Cheri

Is there any way to get a digital image through email for confirmation?

If the burrows have mountains of sand/dirt around their holes then chances are they are cicada killer burrows.

But do be careful. This is in the chance that they are not cicada killers. Already some readers of my site have sent photos of wasps that they thought were Cicada Killers but were actually other kinds of wasps.

Cicada Killers generally are not aggressive. The males do not have stingers. Females do have stingers but they would rather not waste their venom stinging a human. I've even stolen many stung cicadas away from females without a problem at all.

So again, if you could get a digital photo, I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/04/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted! - Philadelphia, PA

Hi,

I believe we have cicada killers in our backyard. I had been seeing mounds of dirt with holes about 1 inch in size.

Last night around 6:30 or so I saw a large bee like insect emerge from one of the holes. I had seen a large bee like insect flying around a few days before. They seem to beredish or brownish in color but definitely bees. Very large bees. What can I do to get rid of them. I have a parrot and I don't want to use any harsh chemicals that willl harm my bird.

Please help.

Thanks,

Helene

Hello Helene

Thanks for the information. Would it be possible to get a digital image of the wasps or the mounds?

If they are cicada killers you really have nothing to fear, the males have no stingers to sting and the females only use their stingers to hunt and paralyze cicadas. They are really quite docile. I'v even stolen cicadas away from female cicada killers without a problem.

I have even sat among a colony and had them land on me without a problem. I promise they won't harm your bird? Is it kept outside? I used to have an umbrella cockatoo, best bird I ever had but unfortunately, when I divorced my wife, she got him :)

If you could also provide the following information (in the even you are able to take a digital photo to email me), then I would need the following information for my database as to where you have them:

State:

County:

Town:

Street Address:

Date:

Your information will not be shared so no problems there.

Thanks

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/02/06 - Sighting Report of a Cicada - Wilmington, Ma

Here is a cicada we found in our back yard on August 2. We live in Wilmington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The cicada was dead when we found it. I found your website while researching to identify the insect. Thought you might like to know of the "sighting".

Tim

Hi Tim

Thanks for the information. Do you still have the specimen? If you could, would it be possible to get measurements in millimeters as follows:

Overall length

Wing Length (From Wing Hinge to Wing Tip)

Body Length

Width of head, from one large compound eye to the other.

This specimen looks to be a Tibicen lyricen female. She looks like she completed her lifecycle by laying her eggs then in a few hours she was dead.

Also, I hate to ask but would it be possible to get a closer picture?

Thanks

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

Note: It should be noted that Tim was nice enough to send me this specimen. My description was WAY OFF. This specimen was actually a male T. canicularis. Sorry for the mistake!

08/01/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted - Arlington, MA

The county you saw them in. Middlesex
The town or city you saw them in. Arlington, MA
Actual address of the Cicada Killers. Not sure--the one I saw flew around my neighbor's yard, then into mine, then into my other neighbor's yard.
Time of day. 2PM
Date you saw them. Yesterday
Pictures of them if possible. No way I'm getting that close to it--it's huge!

Hi Jessie

If it was just one cicada killer it was probably out hunting for a cicada. Cicada killers by nature are docile wasps. The males don't have stingers and cicada killers will only sting cicadas. They don't want to waste their venom stinging a non-cicada.

A picture would be great and it also insures the accuracy of the data.

I understand though as they can make one nervous :)

Thanks

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp

08/01/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted - Warwick, RI

Hell there... noticed your research as i was trying to find out what the hell these things were. I noticed a hole in my driveway on 7/28/06 and today i seen them in person. There were 2 of them and they were hovering over the hole in the ground, which is the size of a quater!!! They were out around noon time today and these things are huge!! I live in Warwick, RI and have never seen anything like these before. Good luck with your research. Charlie

Hi Charlie

Thanks for the information. But before I can confirm this as an actual cicada killer spot, is there any way of getting a digital photo for confirmation? I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks

Gerry

08/01/06 - Cicada Killers Spotted - Darien, CT

In Darien CT, (southern Fairfield County). We've had them in previous years - but they are MUCH more numerous this year.

Regards, Lorin

Hi Lorin

Thanks for the attachments. Yep, those are cicada killers all right. You won't have to worry about them though. The males have no stingers and the females only sting cicadas. They are not aggressive towards humans at all.

In fact, you could probably sit there and watch the females bring in Cicadas. It's quite interesting and fun. Last year, I managed to steal 10 cicadas way from female cicada killers without a problem at all.

They just fly away to get more. It's pretty fun. In this way, I get the cicada killer to catch cicadas for me.

Thank you

Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.as