Cicada Killers appear as adults in late June or July, and are mostly seen visiting flowers or digging burrows in sandy or light soil. In Washington, D. C., they are commonly seen in July on the National Mall. This species nests in the ground and provisions its nest with cicadas. As in many insect species, the males appear as adults first, and mating takes place when adult females emerge from the soil. After mating, females select a site and being digging a burrow.
Favorite sites are embankments, under sidewalks and roadsides.
Commonly, lawns are chosen in populated areas. Soil or sand is first loosened with the front legs, then scooted out of the hole with her middle and hind legs. Sometimes the female enters the burrow and pushes out soil with her head and front legs. Females burrow into the soil for approximately ten inches, with a channel of about half an inch. Oval chambers are excavated at the end of the burrow, large enough to accommodate a few individual cicadas.