Sphecius speciosus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Sphecius speciosus, the eastern cicada-killer wasp, is a large, solitary digger wasp species in the family Bembicidae. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them. Cicada killers exert a measure of natural control on cicada populations, and as such, they may directly benefit the deciduous trees upon which the cicadas feed. Sometimes, they are erroneously called sand hornets, despite not truly being hornets, which belong to the family Vespidae.
The most recent review of this species' biology is found in the posthumously published comprehensive study by noted entomologist Howard Ensign Evans. This species can be found in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. and southwards into Mexico and Central America.
Adult eastern cicada wasps are large, 1.5 to 5.0 cm (0.6 to 2.0 in) long, robust wasps with hairy, reddish, and black areas on their thoraces (middle parts), and black to reddish brown abdominal (rear) segments that are marked with light yellow stripes. The wings are brownish. Coloration superficially resembles that of some yellowjacket and hornet species. The females are somewhat larger than the males, and both are among... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 334th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%), Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Crabronidae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Crabronidae, Square-headed Wasps, Sand Wasps, and Allies) are Organ-Pipe Mud-Dauber Wasp (about 10%) and Hump-Backed Beewolf (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
