Concerts, Cicdas and Wasps - the Cycle of Life: 7 '22

I am sure you have all heard of the 17-year cicadas 

and how damaging these swarms can be to trees.

What is less discussed is the effect that cicadas could be having  on the other wildlife that call those trees  their home,  I began worring about the answer to that question when I started counting  the number of cicada  in the trees in my back yard, and wondering, " What happens to all of the other woodland creatures that depend upon those trees if those trees don't survive the cicada damage?"

Every night last Spring , our wooded backyard was turned into a concert hall featuring  a pleasant symphony being played by all the woodland creatures living there. Different species of Tree frogs sang out in  base and tenor percussion sounds,  the Owls added measured interludes of winds ( "who- who__-,who- who-who"), and various small mammals added alto notes with squeaks and squeals,  It was so peaceful and calming to hear.  Sadly this summer, that concert is frequently interrupted ( and sometimes outright drowned out ) by the repetitive whirring whine of thosands of swarming cicadas. It is not a pleasant sound, and in someways it reminds me of the siren of some emergency vehicles. 

Just as I was getting really alarmed, I learned about an unlikely hero who is here to save the day.  

Meet the Cicada Wasp.

They're amazing . . Females grab cicadas and put them in the burrows to feed their emerging young'uns.

Female Cicada killer wasps are not aggressive and rarely sting unless handled roughly, disturbed, or caught in clothing, etc. Males aggressively defend their perching areas on nesting sites against rival males but they have no sting. Although they appear to attack anything which moves near their territories, male cicada killers are actually investigating anything which might be a female cicada killer ready to mate.

I am pretty sure I have already met up with some cicada wasps in my backyard, but not knowing their role in the 17-year cycle I gave them a wide birth.  Like many people I assumed that any close inspection was a prelude to an attack, but these wasps rarely sting, bite, or even land on people. If handled roughly females will sting, males will jab with a sharp spine on the tip of their abdomen, and both sexes are well equipped to bite with their large jaws, however they are non-aggressive towards humans and fly away when swatted at, instead of attacking.

Cicada killer wasps exert a natural control on cicada populations and therefore directly benefit the deciduous trees on which cicadas feed. .  So the next time I see one, I will make sure to say; Thank you for saving my trees and the summer concerts they offer.