Insects and Spiders - native

Cicada Killer Wasps (unknown species) (Sphecius spp.) on Aug 16, 2023

Originally reported as Insect or Spider (unknown species) (various)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

The Hornet was almost as big as a Hummingbird (2-3 inches long) with a thin stripe of pale yellow across a black face. It was mostly black with some pale yellow stripes on the abdomen. It was stealing eggs or something from a half-finished Mud Dauber nest and flew off when it saw me.

Commentary

Thank you for your report! Without a photo it is difficult to say with certainty what you saw, but your very detailed observations suggest you saw a Cicada killer wasp (Sphecius species). They are native wasps related to mud daubers. You may have seen her provisioning her own nest with insect prey to feed her grubs. Cicada killers are not usually aggressive. Thanks for being on the lookout!

Tom Valente
Aug. 17, 2023, 12:38 a.m.

Location

12810 SW Walnut St in Tigard 97223. The exact location was on one of the wooden joists of the front porch.

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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