A common trait of species within the genus is their mimicry of stinging Hymenoptera to avoid predators.

[9] Toxomerus marginatus is the most ubiquitous species in the North and is polyvoltine, brooding multiple times per year.

[10] Although they are high fidelity hymenopteran mimics[11] they do not engage in behavioral mimicking such as leg waving, wing wagging, and mock-stinging.

The lifespan of the average adult is about a month and can vary depending on the season with shorter spans in the summer and longer in the winter.

[6] A female can lay up to hundreds of eggs at a time and will place them where prey or pollen food sources are readily available.

[16] Their diets as adults had made some species responsible for pollination in a variety of plant families, including Poaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Ericaceae, Cyperaceae, and Orobanchaceae.

[17][18][19][8] Adults and larvae will forage for pollen during the early daylight hours while their activity drops off at around late afternoon.