The victim: Tibicen canicularis - Dog-day Cicada (an annual cicada)

The assassin: Sphecius speciosus - Eastern Cicada Killer female

""Cicada killer wasps are solitary wasps and have a life cycle very different from the social wasps such as hornets and paper wasps. The stings are designed to paralyze cicadas rather than for nest defense, so despite their large size, the sting is not as painful. The female wasps are not defensive, they will only sting if caught by bare hand or caught in one's clothing. Males will chase after other wasps or even buzz around humans, if one comes into their territory, but they have no stings. Adult wasps emerge about mid July in Michigan and live for about 2 months. Adult wasps will dig nesting holes during July and August. Nesting holes are usually in full sun, with sparse vegetation, in well-drained soils that are sandy slightly clayey (an exact description of this site!). The soil thrown out of the hole usually forms a U-shaped open tunnel at the entrance. Female wasps will make burrows that are about 6-10 inches deep and drag paralyzed cicadas inside.
A burrow may have 10 to 20 cells with each cell provided with 1-2 cicadas and one egg. Each female egg is provided with two cicadas and male egg is provided with one cicada. Eggs hatch into larvae in two days and larvae will consume the live but paralyzed cicadas in 4-14 days and then spin a cocoon. The larvae then enter into a diapause. They pupate in the next spring and emerge as adults mid July the next year, completing the full cycle. Female wasps will locate singing cicadas and sting them to cause paralysis, then either glide from a tree to their burrow or drag them to the burrow on the grass. One female wasp will hunt 10-30 cicadas per summer." - Dr. Zachary Huang, Mich. St. University