Expert: Doug Yanega - 8/5/2005

Question
Hi.  I live at a suburban apartment complex in Pennsylvania...And on the front lawn of my building there are about 50-100 "bees" or something that fly around and around hovering over the lawn.  They are between 1"-2" big - really big in my opinion for bees.  Although they look like bees since they are black and have 2 yellow stripes around the back/middle of their body (the end being black).  They have 1 pair of wings, I think, and atenae.  They do not appear to be fuzzy like a bumble bee. They haven't attacked or stung anyone that I know of.  They live in the ground, come out only when it's daylight/sunny, and lived in the same spot last summer and re-emerged this summer (not out in winter).  They are so big and fly around aimlessly and I am petrified of flying, buzzing bugs...so I am desperate to identify them (since the landlord refuses to do anything about it).  Can you help me identify them?  Let me know if you need any more info.  I am too scared to get too close to see more and they are flying mostly, so I can't see them that clearly.  Any help would be appreciated.

Answer
Hi. That sounds like a nesting aggregation of Cicada Killer wasps. They're absolutely non-aggressive, so unless you grab one and squeeze it, or step on one, they're harmless. They can be a lot of fun to watch, too, like having a PBS nature program right in your yard. The males will hover and fly around guarding territories, while the females sting and paralyze cicadas, dragging them back to be buried alive underground - with a wasp larva slowly eating them. Neat stuff. You can find pictures and other info by doing a web search on the scientific name, _Sphecius speciosus_.