All photos by Joe Coelho, except electron micrographs by Paula Edgar. Audio by Sharon Bringer. The beginning Cicada killers are around at the time that coincides with the presence of their cicada prey, which are well known for the loud vibrating call of the male. They break out of their pupal cases and dig their way out of burrows where they spent the winter, leaving telltale holes in the ground. Males stake out territories where females are likely to emerge, defending the airspace within their territories against conspecific males, and chasing anything that flies on the chance that it might be a virgin female.
Males generally perch in a typical posture on some object within the territory.
The mating Soon after virgin females emerge, they mate, but only once. The male occupying the territory in which the female emerges is usually successful in mating her. They fall to the ground and couple. Other males may try to horn in, forming a cluster around the mating pair. If disturbed the pair may fly off and land elsewhere.