Cicada Killer or Murder Hornet?
A. Eastern cicada killer B. Northern giant hornet. Image via South Dakota State University Extension
With all of the media coverage about invasive Northern giant hornets this summer (sometimes called “murder hornets,” and once referred to as “Asian giant hornet,” but we prefer the more appropriate “Northern giant hornet”), our online pest reporting website has been flooded with reports from the public. Fortunately, Northern giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) has still only been found in Washington State and adjacent parts of Canada, and a nest hasn’t been found yet in the United States. But over the past few weeks, we have received many reports from people seeing large wasps, worried that they could be Northern giant hornets, but are actually a harmless native species known as the Eastern cicada killer wasp (Sphecius speciosus). While cicada killers are indeed quite large, there are several distinct differences that make it easy to tell them apart from the Northern giant hornet. See this comparison for example:
Note that the Eastern cicada killer wasp has a much different coloration than Northern giant hornet, with a distinctly black abdomen (bottom segment of the body) that has prominent pale yellow markings. The Northern giant hornet, in comparison, has brown and yellow/orange bands that completely encircle the abdomen. Also, while the Northern giant hornet has an almost cartoonishly large yellowish/orange head with very large pincers, Eastern cicada killer has a dark-colored head with a much smaller pale yellow mouth.
Image of a dead Eastern cicada killer wasp, showing the black abdomen with prominent pale yellow markings. Note that the insect will curl up when dead, making it appear smaller. Photo by Elizabeth Kissick.
Cicada killers, as their name implies, hunt only cicadas, and do this to provide food for their larvae. They are not harmful to humans and will typically leave us alone, even if they nest near people. It is the male cicada killers that sometimes display intimidating territorial behavior towards humans, but they do not even have a stinger and are harmless.
If, after reviewing the guide above, you are still concerned that you’ve found a Northern giant hornet, you can report it here.