Since colonies of burrows are common, infested lawns usually contain several mounds that can smother the grass. 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. Pupation occurs in the spring. The cicada killer wasp's life history has not been closely studied in North Carolina, but this wasp appears as early as the first week of June in Arkansas, but 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. The excess soil thrown out of the burrow forms a symmetrical, U-shaped mound at the entrance. Once cells have been constructed, the search for cicada begins. Two to 3 days later the egg hatches. Depending on the number of cicadas in its cell, the larva feeds for 4 to 10 days until only the cicada's outer skin remains.