Benny: Hello, and welcome to the Benny Springer Show. Today we are going to interview a real bug!!! No, not Cindy the bug lady, but an actual insect. He is a Cicada Killer Wasp. His name is Manson, and here he is now! 

Manson: Hey Benny, your sure lookiní fat and plump today, just like my favorite kind of Cicada. 

Benny: Uh, um, yeah, ok Manson, ok, tell us about yourself. 

Manson: Iím hungry. 
 
Benny: Well, we have a catering cart back in the studio. 

Manson: Would you mind if I sting you, suck out all of your blood, paralyze you with my poison, and then swallow your head. 

Benny: How ëbout some coffee instead?  

Manson: NO, I want to eat you! 

Benny: How ëbout you eat the competition, Jerry Springer, he stole my name. 

Mason: Ok,  his show is trashy anyway. 

Benny: Letís change the subject, tell us about your species. 

Manson: Iím a Cicada Killer Wasp, and you will probably never guess what I kill! 

Benny: Cicadas? 

Manson: You read the script didnít you, I also, nest in the ground with a colony of 30 killers in all, although we live about 4 yards apart from another wasp we are still a colony, we like to work and hunt alone, though. 

Benny: Really?! 

Manson: Yeah, we hunt Cicadas individually, like I said, then when we find one, we approach it quietly then attack at the last second. We sting it, and unlike other wasps weíve had our stinger out ever since we were larvae. Anyway after we sting it, we suck the blood out of the hole in it, and inject it will a poison so it is paralyzed. We then eat the paralyzed Cicadaís head. We take the body back to our nests, go down a two foot long tunnel and let the larvae eat it in the nurseries. 

Benny: Thatís gruesome! Wow.... anyway, Iíve heard that many Cicada Killer Wasps have been mostly hunting in the late spring and through out the summer.  
Why only then?       
                                     
Manson: It really is all a natural instinct. We all really love them warmth. We canít take  much cold, approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit is the limit. We would have our tiny little organs freeze completely. When it rains we get worried about getting washed out into the cold, so we find a leaf and cover the entrance. 

Benny: Do you have any natural enemies? 
* 
Manson:  We have enemies, yes, but... theyíre easily defeated. We are the largest species of wasp so we canít really lose. These other insects include most kinds of wasps, some bees, and humans. Most of all, humans. Second to you is the Hercules Beetle, which finds our nests and eat our larvae. 

Benny :  So what do you do? 

Manson: We sting it, then we take the paralyzed insect to any kind of water source where we drop it and watch itís pathetic little soul sink to the bottom as it tries, but canít, get air. Then it drowns. We chuckle then go back to our hole. 

Benny : Yes.........What is your life cycle?  

Manson:  We are born we grow we die. Into detail though, we are born in  small spherical eggs. When we hatch we are larvae and canít leave our nest to get food until we grow wings. We rely on our mother for everything, food , water, etc. 
When  we grow into the adult stage we leave the nest and go build our own. We mate and then, if you are an adult male, you are eaten by the female. Speaking of food, I would really like to eat you now. 

Benny :  Um, no...Where can you be found, in geographical terms.  

Manson: Usually most of the Cicada Killers can be found in the South west of North America, The Northwest of South America, and very few are found in the east. Except the only Cicada that ever ventured east that I know of is, Jones, who ventured on the Opera Winfrey Show. 

Benny: Lets say the end of the world was coming and they had to pick one insect to be sent to another planet. Why do you think they would pick you ? 

Manson: Um, well, we kill a lot of cicadas... but we are very reliable, my Uncle Bob used to deliver letters to other people. Like a bird. Also we are very smart, the smartest flying insect in the world! 

Benny: How common are you, and does mating come easily? 

Manson: We are very common, especially in the Southwest, and on average in one day you could see 10-50 of us! Mating comes pretty easy except for trying to find a mate. Most of the Killers are females. 

Benny: Now for our final question. What is your niche in the biome? 

Manson: We keep Cicadas from over populating and that gets rid of a lot of pests. 

Benny: Thank you Manson, youíve been an excellent guest. We will almost never forget you. 

Manson: Jeez Iím so HUNGRY! 

Benny: You can go eat Jerry! Just leave my sta-... AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

Manson: SLURP..... Man, Iím still hungry.... now where's that producer?