Cicada Killer

Photo Information

Taken:	30 June 2008 13:08 in The Meadows at Brushy Creek, Texas
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 100
	23.2mm, 0 EV
	f/5.5
	1/160

Backstory

Suna and I originally though this beastie was a hornet and we were afraid to get close enough to it to get a good close-up with the trusty point-and-shoot Cannon. Turns out that it is a cicada killer wasp, which is somewhat aggressive but unlikely to sting large animals like humans. The males are unable to sting at all.

Cicada killers only come out when local cicadas are active. They live in the ground, like cicada, and have been known to decapitate the chirpier insects. It seems a lot of things find cicadas annoying.

From accounts on the Web, I’m guessing they lay their eggs in the cicada’s body.

Looking at this picture, I wish I had one of my more powerful cameras and lenses then. Since one person said cicada killers are active about every four years, I may have missed my opportunity for a reshoot, but I’ll keep my eyes open.

–4 October 2012