However, since cicada killer wasps prefer to nest in areas of sparse vegetation, it is likely that an infested turf was already unthrifty when the wasps arrived. They rarely burrow in thick, vigorous turf. 15 to 25 cm deep in well drained soil. Pupation occurs in the spring. The cicada killer wasp's life history has not been closely studied in North Carolina, but the wasp appears as early as the first week of June in Arkansas and rarely before July 1 in Ohio.
Emergence continues throughout the summer.
The female adult feeds, mates, and digs burrows for several weeks before preying on cicadas. A vertical or slightly angled burrow 15 to 25 cm deep and 1.2 cm in diameter with broadlfy oval cells perpendicular to the main tunnel is excavated. The excess soil thrown out of the burrow forms a regular, U-shaped mound at the entrance. Once cells have been constructed, the search for cicadas begins. Two to 3 days later the egg hatches.