I Spotted This Big Cicada Killer Wasp Here in Wichita Falls

That’s one scary-looking bug right there.

So, I was out for a jog on Wednesday morning when I noticed that big ol’ thing on the sidewalk. Ordinarily, I would keep my distance from any sort of flying bug that looks like it could inflict some serious pain on me, but it was pretty clear that it was deceased, so I snapped a couple of pics.

Get our free mobile app

Luckily, I happen to know Dr. Roy Vogstberger, associate professor of entomology at MSU Texas. I sent the pictures his way and here’s what he had to say:

That’s a type of wasp that’s commonly called a cicada killer since they are predators of cicadas…or what a lot of people in Texas call locusts. Seeing the wasp flying through the air with a huge cicada in tow underneath is quite a sight to see since it is such a huge combined mass traveling through the air.

With that in mind, I cruised over to YouTube and found a couple of videos of cicada killers doing their thing.

You may remember murder hornets (officially known as the Asian giant hornet) making the news a couple of years ago when they started showing up in the Pacific Northwest. Don’t confuse cicada killers with murder hornets.

Sure, they’re large and look like they could hurt you pretty bad, but they’re generally considered to be harmless to humans and are beneficial to the environment, according to Texas A&M University. While they’re not aggressive, they can sting you, so don’t press your luck and decide to play with one.