Family overview
Diverse predatory wasps. Stout to slender. Most are solitary ground nesters.
Cicada killers are huge but docile — they paralyze cicadas to feed their young. Recently split from Sphecidae.
At a glance
Family facts.
Distribution
Worldwide
Habitat
Terrestrial · Soil
Approx. species
8,800
Notable members
Eastern cicada killer (Sphecius speciosus), bee-wolves