Oh man! I finally found a decent amount of info on the life cycle of the Cicada Killer Wasp Sphecius speciosus. And of course it's via Bugguide. :) Not that I was looking for info I just stumbled upon it while browsing the wasp section of the site looking for an interesting looking wasps to write about on here.
Well any way here you go:
Life Cycle: In 2 or 3 days after the egg laying, a wasp larva will hatch from the egg. The larvae immediately begins eating the cicada. When the larva finishes the cicada, leaving only the outer shell ( about two weeks ), it will then spin a cocoon and hibernate until the following Spring.
In the Spring the larva will leave it's cocoon and become a pupa ( resting stage ). From the pupa an adult Cicada Killer will hatch. It will dig its way out of the ground and look for a mate. Male wasps die shortly after mating. Females die after they lay all of their eggs.
Food: Adults eat very little , nectar from flowers. Larvæ eat cicadas.
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