Cicada Killer Mating And Life Cycle – All You Need To Know

In this guide, we look at the mating rituals and life cycle of one of the most common wasps in North America – Cicada Killers.

While there are more than 20,000 solitary wasp species in the world, the cicada killer deserves special mention. 

These relatively harmless wasps often appear to be scary simply because of their large size. They get a bad rap because they look similar to other bad apples, such as yellow jackets and Asian Giant Hornets.

However, cicada killers are usually harmless wasps that are beneficial to humans in the garden. We’ll be exploring the life cycle and the mating habits of cicada killers in detail in the blog below.

What Do Cicada Killers Look Like?

As mentioned just earlier, Cicada Killers are one of the largest species of wasps in the world, with a length of 1.5 inches to 2 inches. 

You can identify them by the bright yellow markings on their black bodies right over the abdomen. This wasp has a rusty thorax and head, while the wings are rust-colored. 

The female wasp of this species also has a stinger at the end of its abdomen, while the males just have a sharp spine to defend themselves.

Cicada Killer Mating

Male cicada killers try to attract the females that enter their territory and mate if the courtship is successful. 

Although we don’t know the exact details of their courtship process, each male wasp of this species is capable of fertilizing several females.

After mating, female cicada killers start working on digging underground tunnels for their nests. 

The females mostly focus on laying eggs and hunting insects for their larvae, besides building the nest in the first place.

The males have less work to do – they only mate and defend their perching sites from other rival males. 

They can be quite aggressive at defending the nest and tend to attack anything that moves nearby. 

Thankfully, they don’t have stingers and can only jab with the spine at the tip of their abdomen. The role of a male cicada killer ends after mating, as it then dies.

Life Cycle

The total life cycle of cicada killers lasts about a year. Although they take a long time to reach maturity, they live only a few weeks as adults. Let’s look at the long process they take from the egg-laying stage right upto the time they come out as adults.

Adults Emerge

The adult cicada killers emerge from their nests in summer after overwintering through the cold months. This explains why their activity is at its peak in July and August. 

You will find plenty of cicada killers in your garden, as they primarily survive on flower nectar. It’s during this period that they mate and reproduce.

Burrowing Nests & Laying Eggs

After they have mated, the females start burrowing into the soil to dig out nesting tunnels. 

They usually do this in loose soil that’s easy to dig into. Each nest may comprise several tunnels and run up to 24 inches deep.

Once the nest is ready, the females hunt cicadas for their future offspring to feed on. They paralyze the prey, drag them into the nest, and embed an egg in the body of each cicada. 

In this regard, you should note that while the females stay alive for long enough to hunt and lay eggs, the males usually die after mating.

Larva

The eggs take only two to three days to hatch. The larvae begin feeding on the paralyzed cicada from the inside. 

They start out by sucking the blood of the poor creature and then move on to other parts, leaving the nervous system intact so that it remains alive till the end.

They keep feeding for a couple of weeks until only the cicada’s shell remains. They remain in the larval stage until fall.

Pupation and Overwintering

At the onset of the fall season, the cicada killer larvae spin a silken cocoon around themselves and get ready to overwinter. 

In the safety of its cocoon, the wasp larva gradually pupates into an adult cicada killer wasp. Once summer sets in and the temperatures rise, the adults emerge, and the cycle repeats.

How Long Do They Live?

The life cycle of a cicada killer is about 11 to 13 months, from the laying of the egg to the death of the adult wasp. 

However, they spend most of their life cycle underground, inside the nest. It takes them about 10 to 12 months to mature and complete pupation.

The adults die after their respective roles of mating, building nests, laying eggs, etc. After maturing, the males live about two weeks. 

The females have a comparatively longer lifespan as adults – they live for around four weeks after leaving the nest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap Up

Cicada killer wasps are common in both North and South America, which means you are quite likely to find them in the summer. 

There’s no need to panic when you see one of them, as the females are docile, and the males are incapable of stinging. I hope you enjoyed the read and found your answers in this article.