Don't be alarmed by cicada killers around Corbin Education Center Don't be alarmed by cicada killers around Corbin Education Center

The large-bodied wasps found at Corbin Education Center are the amiable and beneficial cicada killers (Sphecius speciosus). Only the female cicada killers can sting, but rarely do, unless aggressively provoked.

Cicada killers burrow into sparsely vegetated areas, like the gardens around Corbin. As their name implies, the female wasp kills cicadas (Tibicen pruinosa), hauls them to the burrow and lays an egg in the cicada carcass, which the larva will feed on until it is ready to pupate.

Cicada killers control cicada populations, which can cause damage to shade and ornamental trees by way of their egg-laying inside tender twigs. Cicada killers are also beneficial pollinators, as the adults feed on plant nectar and pollen.