Most cicadas have a pair of tymbals or domed, drum-like organs on the sides of the abdomen. They alternately contract and release muscles to make the tymbals resonate. A large air sac in the abdomen with a thin exterior eardrum acts as an echo chamber that greatly amplifies the sound. One group of common Colorado cicadas lack tymbals. Instead, they produce sounds by clicking together their wings, somewhat like certain grasshoppers and crickets.
Adults are present for about four to six weeks following emergence.
After mating, the adult females begin to lay eggs in slits in the twigs of various hosts. Upon hatching, nymphs drop to the ground, burrow beneath the soil surface, and spend the next two to five years feeding on plant roots. Natural Enemies of Cicadas Cicadas have several natural enemies, many with unusual habits. Other hunting wasps attack smaller cicadas, using paralyzed cicadas to provision nests dug in soil. These develop as parasites of cicada nymphs.