Cicada Killer Wasps Appear In Wellesley

WELLESLEY, MA — The summer weather is here and it brought some new insects into Wellesley, including some wasps that have made themselves comfortable outside the Department of Public Works headquarters.

The Cicada Killer wasp, named Sphecius speciosus, was spotted nesting outside the DPW headquarters. While the name is jarring, humans don't have much to worry about as these bugs are solitary and hunt cicadas. The Cicada Killer usually comes out in the summer months and flies high above tree trunks and branches looking for cicadas.

The female cicada killer digs a burrow in an open area, provisions it with two or three cicadas for her offspring to feed on, and then seals the opening and flies off, according to Mass Audubon.

The females have stingers, but they're used to paralyze cicadas — rarely do they sting humans, only when caught in clothes or by bare hands. Male wasps do not have a stinger, although they do buzz around their nests.

The Wellesley DPW posted a sign on an orange cone outside the nesting spot to alert residents. The department published the sign on Facebook to let resident know they had "new neighbors" saying, "They're not aggressive and are very beneficial in pollinating plants."