![]() ![]() They often feed together, especially when young. These pests are true to their name and are caterpillars that feed on azalea leaves. What is this caterpillar eating all the leaves off myĪzalea caterpillars are another pest to look out for here in our neck of the woods. They are designed and created in a fascinating way.Įnjoy this exciting drama going on in your garden. Then the new cicada killer wasp emerges to begin the process again.Ĭicadas and these wasps are not extremely harmful – but they are interesting. After the egg hatches, the young wasp feeds on the cicada, makes a cocoon and over winters until next year. Once they get to the nest, they lay an egg on the paralyzed cicada. Then they climb again and repeat the process until they get their burden to the hole. They glide towards the place where they have dug their hole. Then they launch themselves and their burden from there. The wasps carry the cicada to the top of something tall. Carrying a cicada is a difficult job for a wasp. They hunt for and catch cicadas and then stun them with a sting and carry them to their nest. The female wasps dig shallow holes in the soil as a nursery for their young. Cicada killer wasps use the cicadas as food to raise their young. Predators love cicadas because they are large and easy to catch. Be careful when handling them since they do have some sharp parts on their bodies. They do not have a stinger or biting mouthparts. The wings may have some orange in them.Ĭicadas look scary but they are even less dangerous than the wasps. They are stout bugs and are black to brown with large bulging red eyes, red legs and a red-brown to yellow belly. The cicada is about 1 1/8 inches long with clear wings up to 3 inches long. Cicada killer wasps do attack cicadas though. Cicadas are the large insects that sing in the tops of the trees in the summer. They can sting but are unlikely to do so unless you bother them. They do not pose much of a threat to humans. ![]()
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