Woah! Unbelieveable!

For 3 days I've been noticing a hole that is being dug beside one of my newly planted brugs. I didn't have a clue what it could be and I just kept covering it back up. This morning out of the corner of my eye I saw something fly into the opening. I ran inside and grabbed my camera and waited. I was not ready for what came out. I've never seen such a huge wasp/hornet in my life. It was 1.5-2" long with an incredible wing span. It scared me real bad and I snapped the picture real fast and ran ... lol

I was able to id it as a Cicada Killer, Giant Ground Hornet, Sphecius hogardii (Latreille), very rare and very beneficial.
The description says they don't sting unless you handle the female so now I'll feel more comfortable to take my time and hopefully get clearer pictures.

The front door

The critter

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in573

This message was edited Jul 18, 2006 9:28 AM

My brother just informed me that Sphecius speciosus (Drury) is the one I have. Not as rare but still awsome.

Wow, very cool. Thank you for sharing!

Erick

These guys are very intimidating until you know about them due to their size. I had them in my front grass area for a couple of years but that was at least 5 years ago. They paralyze the Cicada with their sting, bringing it back to their nest for the young to feed off of the live body. Gruesome, lol.

Tussee

That's really neat V - when I lived in Indiana and was going to college I had a whole colony of cicada killers take up resident next to my house. I called the bug lab at ISU and described what was buzzing around and they immediately sent 2 grad students out to study them. I used to sit for hours watching them. What a treat you have! .. but they are huge and somewhat intimidating!
X

Is this where it has made it home? Cool pictures.

The link says they make four foot burrows that may have more than 16 cells . Each cell holds one or two Cicadas. Gosh Jim your question is a good one. I presume the killer lives there but I don't really know for sure.
Another interesting thing I noticed when I took the first picture. Off to the right of the tunnel hole there is a little well formed depression. In that depression was a dead bee-like critter. When I went back outside the dead critter was gone. I guess the resident(s) put him in their pantry ... lol!

hmmm think I would stear clear of those little buggers

I like for you to post pictures of your critters, I don't want to see them in person. Great pictures!!

Judy

Well shoot! And I was gonna send him to you for a little vacation! ... ha! :)

Vicki I have more than enough biting and stinging bugs thank you very much LOL!!!!!! Just ask Trish about our Florida Butterfly trip and the deer flies, if there is a biting bug, me, and 20 other people together I am the one that's going to be bitten!!!!!!

They surely didn't make the hole!! That hole looks like the ones the darned moles make in my flower beds. Then those critters would take up homesteading there???

I have enough of my own thanks. I like look at yours from this distance. You did good getting the pictures.

Jeanette

Jeanette, they do indeed dig their own holes
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef004.htm
Thankfully I don't have moles in my yard here in FL. In Tennessee I saw them occasionally but usually the kitties took care of them. :)

Donna you have your own collection of strange bugs without ever leaving home. lol! Deerflies,noseeums and skeeters all love to bite me too. Amazing that Ellis never had a skeeter bite in his life!

at least I haven't run into a rattler or copperhead yet