Cicada Killer Wasps are a totally different insect. Here is a pic of a Cicada Killer Wasp:
The cicada killer wasps attract attention due to their large size, the burrows that they dig in home lawns, and their buzzing flights over the lawn. These insects occur in all states east of the Rocky Mountains and prefer to dig their burrows in sandy, bare, well drained soil exposed to full sunlight. The wasps feed on flower nectar while the immature or larval stage feeds primarily upon cicadas that are brought to the burrow by the adult.
In spite of their large size, the wasps usually ignore people but they can give a painful sting if bothered. Mating males are aggressive and more easily disturbed.
A mound of fine soil surrounds the burrow of each cicada killer. Since colonies of burrows are common, infested lawns usually contain several mounds that can smother the grass. However, they prefer to nest in areas of sparse vegetation, and rarely infest thick,vigorous turf.
Cicada killers over winter as larvae in the soil. Pupation occurs in the spring and the adult emerges in mid-June to early July. Emergence continues throughout the summer. Females feed, mate, and dig burrows for several weeks before preying on cicadas. Excess soil thrown out of the burrow forms a regular, U-shaped mound at the entrance.
The females search tree trunks and lower limbs for cicadas. The wasp stings its prey, turns the victim on its back, straddles It, and drags it or glides with it to the burrow. Each cell is furnished with at least one cicada (sometimes two or three) and a single egg before being sealed off. Two to 3 days later the egg hatches. Depending on the number of cicadas in its cell, the larva feeds for 4 to 10 days until only the cicada's outer shell remains. During the fall, the larva spins a silken case, shrinks, and prepares to overwinter. Only one generation occurs each year.
Control Cultural practices can prevent or eliminate the establishment of cicada killer colonies. Adequate lime and fertilizer applications accompanied by frequent watering promote a thick growth of turf and can usually eliminate a cicada killer infestation in one or two seasons. In case of severe infestation, chemical control may be necessary to prevent danger from stinging wasps.
CAUTION! Pesticide recommendations in this publication are registered for use in Kentucky, USA ONLY! The use of some products may not be legal in your state or country. Please check with your local county agent or regulatory official before using any pesticide mentioned in this publication.
Of course, ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS FOR SAFE USE OF ANY PESTICIDE!
And...From the ever popular "Wiki":
Cicada killer wasps (the genus Sphecius) are large, solitary predatory wasps. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them, after stinging and paralyzing them. There are some 20 species worldwide. The highest diversity occurs in the region between North Africa and Central Asia.
In North America, the term "cicada killer wasp" usually refers to the most well-known species, the Eastern Cicada Killer (S. speciosus). There are also a few other related genera sometimes referred to as "cicada killers", e.g. Liogorytes in South America and Exeirus in Australia.
The use of cicadas as prey is in keeping with the typical behavior of the tribe Gorytini, which tend to specialize on various members of the Cicadomorpha as prey items.
SpeciesThis list of species is probably complete as of December, 2006. It has been adapted from the Catalog of Sphecius species (California Academy of Sciences). Notable subspecies are also given.
More recently, it has been suspected that the Western Cicada Killer (S. grandis) represents more than one species. There is also evidence to suggest that either the Eastern Cicada Killer (S. speciosus) has a subspecies or closely related species that mimics the Pacific Cicada Killer (S. convallis). Alternatively, when they were already well distinct species significant hybridization has occurred between them, though not enough to fully overcome their reproductive isolation.[1]
Sphecius antennatus (Klug, 1845) (Southern and Eastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia)
Sphecius citrinus Arnold, 1929 (South Africa)
Sphecius claripennis Morice, 1911 (North Africa)
Sphecius conicus (Germar, 1817) (Balkans, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Greece)
Sphecius conicus creticus de Beaumont, 1965 (Crete)
Sphecius conicus syriacus (Klug, 1845) (Syria to China)
Sphecius convallis Patton, 1879 – Pacific Cicada Killer (California, Mexico)
Sphecius grandidieri (de Saussure, 1887) (Madagascar)
Sphecius grandis (Say, 1823) – Western Cicada Killer (Nevada, Arkansas, Colorado, Mexico)
Sphecius hemixanthopterus Morice, 1911 (Algeria)
Sphecius hogardii (Latreille, 1806) – Caribbean Cicada Killer (West Indies, Florida)
Sphecius hogardii bahamas Krombein, 1953 (Bahama Islands: Bimini)
Sphecius intermedius Handlirsch, 1895 (Algeria)
Sphecius lutescens (Radoszkowski, 1877) (Central Asia)
Sphecius malayanus Handlirsch, 1895 (Indonesia: Timor, Sumbava)
Sphecius milleri R.Turner, 1915 (Zambia)
Sphecius milleri aurantiacus Arnold, 1940 (Ethiopia)
Sphecius nigricornis (Dufour, 1838) (Southern and Eastern Europe, North Africa)
Sphecius pectoralis (F.Smith, 1856) (Australia)
Sphecius persa Gussakovskij, 1933 (Iran, Afghanistan)
Sphecius quartinae (Gribodo, 1884) (Guinea, Somalia)
Sphecius schulthessi Roth, 1951 (North Africa)
Sphecius speciosus (Drury, 1773) – Eastern Cicada Killer (Central and North America: Honduras to Canada)
Sphecius spectabilis (Taschenberg, 1875) – South American Cicada Killer (Brazil, Argentina)
Sphecius uljanini (Radoszkowski, 1877) (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran)