Oh, yay, the cicadas are here

12 years ago

It's infestation time. This is the 14-year brood. Went out to snap some photos of all the lovelies in bloom and we have cicadas all over everything. Tonight should be the first night of the deafening noise.

Hopefully they're here & gone quickly. Does anyone here try to catch & kill them? They're pretty motionless during the day.

Here's a couple of the little buggers on my first blooms of Gemini:

{{gwi:271064}}

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Comments (11)

flaurabunda
Original Author
12 years ago
For whatever reason, the photo isn't attaching today.

Here's a link:
http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy251/wilkin5/2011/Cicadas1May27.jpg
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
12 years ago
I see the little devils in your pic...
I'm not familar with this insect.
But, I do know to tell ya "Cover your ears"! lol
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Oh yeah, still terribly afraid. DH took the pics. He was about 3 feet from her nest. I was an additional 10 feet back from him, watching the whole thing. We have quite a few cicadas right now. It's not the 13-year cycle, so it's not disgusting, but they're pretty thick. Sitting outside Saturday night, 1 got in my friend's purse. That was gross. I'm going to let the Cicada killer live. As long as she's killing the cicadas & leaving me be, she's welcome. The cicadas will fly up to us and hit us. The killer doesn't, as long as we don't do anything silly. Also, the killer's only active in sunlight. The cicadas are active all day and night. They are so loud between 4 and 6 pm that we cannot hear the outdoor speakers on the deck. You have to yell over them to the person sitting next to you.
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Thank you Grannymarsh! I have been getting consistent information that they won't harm flowers or dahlias. In case anyone else comes here, I'll share the latest. At some point, you just have to have faith. I contacted Central States Dahlia society and spoke to a very nice gentleman who is very involved with dahlias in his retirement. He believes the cicadas won't harm them... so I'm not going to worry either. They do like trees... after mating the females go up and try to find a pencil thin branch which they slit somehow, to lay their eggs. So, young trees and shrubs are very much at risk, but he believes they distinguish between trees and needing a woody place to lay the eggs and vegetative matter which is what a dahlia plant is. So, cross your fingers! Thank you all for your help and good luck with your dahlia growing season. I should also put in a plug for the various societies, check it out in your area. There's the American Dahlia Society, apparently, and then various state and local societies that form. I'm going to join, and it's only $12 for Central States for my wife and me for this year. They do garden walks to members gardens, they have dahlia sales (tubers, cuttings and more). This year they are apparently hosting the main dahlia show (convention?) in early September here in Illinois at Pheasant Run, and I will likely go to that too. Lots of activities and 5000 or more dahlias will be shown so I bet it will be fun, informative, and I just have a feeling that those of us who love dahlias are good people to hang around with.
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wishforspring, I think they are pretty cool and I love to listen to them. The brown empty shell is shaped like the cicada and has a crack in the top where the adult molted from. We have the annual cicadas, but it is much louder when we get the 13 or 17 year cicadas. Check out the cool video of the molting process at the link below. Here is an explanation of the life cycle of cicadas from The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. "All but a few cicada species have multiple-year life cycles, most commonly 2-8 years (de Boer and Duffels 1996). In most cicada species, adults can be found every year because the population is not developmentally synchronized; these are often called "annual" cicada species. In contrast, populations of the periodical cicada species are synchronized, so that almost all of them mature into adults in the same year. The fact that periodical cicadas remain locked together in time is made even more amazing by their extremely long life-cycles of 13 or 17 years". (http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/michigan_cicadas/periodical/index.html) Hi Jean, and thanks. Apple Tart has been such a treat for me this year. I finally feel like I have found a long bloomer for my garden. I am going to have to check out the purple Crape Myrtle. Most of mine are in the pink range, but I would love to have a purple one. Vickie Here is a link that might be useful: Video of 17-year Cicada Life Cycle
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From Mylittlenorway.com: Lutefisk is made from stockfish (air-dried fish) that receives a lengthy and rough treatment before cooking. After drying, the fish is reconstituted in cold water for a week, then soaked in a lye (caustic soda) solution for two days. The name Ã¢ÂÂlutefiskÃ¢ÂÂ literally means lye fish and bears its name from this treatment. The lye dissolves the muscle proteins, causes the fish to swell to more than its original size, and makes it very poisonous. To make the fish edible again, it needs to soak in water for another ten days - ready to cook and enjoy! Lutefisk is actually very easy to cook; it contains enough water to boil itself! Simply put it in a pan with a tight lid and cook it over medium heat for 10 minutes. The Nordic tradition of lutefisk is very old. It was first mentioned in literature in 1555, when Swedish archbishop Olaus Magnus described how to prepare and eat lutefisk. He also mentioned that the dish was Ã¢ÂÂhighly valued, even by kingsÃ¢ÂÂ. A kind of lutefisk also featured in the first ever printed Danish cookbook from 1616, even though Danes donÃ¢ÂÂt eat lutefisk nowadays. Statistics show that the biggest consumers of lutefisk are middle-aged, medium income, highly educated men -- but the women are catching up. Here is a link that might be useful: the brown stuff is bacon :)
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canadian_rose
12 years ago
Blech. So they have 14 years as nymphs etc. in the ground. Then they have an infestation. Then they're gone again? At least they're gone after this - not like JBs that come every year. Or maybe you get both - shudder.

I like your mulch.

Carol
york_rose
12 years ago
You may (but probably won't) get some dead rose twigs thanks to their appearance (because the females lay their eggs in the tips of the stems of woody plants), but that's the only harm you need to fear. In six weeks or less they'll be gone.
hosenemesis
12 years ago
Wild looking bugs. Dig those buggy red eyes.
Renee
JaneGael
12 years ago
I just love cicadas. We have the big green ones here in CT. I'd really like to see the black ones some time. I understand they can be really loud. Ours can get noisy and sing in the daytime and not at night. I love the song it just reminds me that its summer.
flaurabunda
Original Author
12 years ago
I don't mind the normal, every year green cicadas. This brood is another matter entirely. It's like driving through a hailstorm when you're in your car. Think hundreds instead of the one or two you normally see.

And yes, we will get both cicadas and JB's.
Jeannie Cochell
12 years ago
We get cicadas every summer. Cats catch one and bring it in late at night, while I'm sitting alone watching TV, let it lose while still alive, behind my chair... Freaks me out even after some 20 years. Don't notice any damage to the roses, though. They leave exoskeletons in the weirdest places.
phil_schorr
12 years ago
Whenever we step outside here, day or night, you can hear their noise. At least we know they will soon be gone and they won't harm the roses. My wife and I have both gotten one on our upper backs. Kinda spooky. I see the dead ones laying on the driveway every morning. I hope they leave soon.
meredith_e Z7b, Piedmont of NC, 1000' elevation
12 years ago
They can be so, so loud some years. I really hate that!
flaurabunda
Original Author
12 years ago
This is a once every 13 years phenomenon.

The noise is approaching deafening levels now; had to close up the house & turn on the air conditioner yesterday. Looks like we'll be removing carcasses with snow shovels later this week. I am getting better about being outside among them; I had one land on my upper back also and never even knew it was there.

Oh, yay, the cicadas are here

Comments (11)

flaurabunda
Original Author

jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6

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Oh, yay, the cicadas are here

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flaurabundaOriginal Author

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