Comments on: What is the purpose of cicadas?

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:25:45 +0000

My folks had a cicada emergence where an old apple tree was cut down, three years after it was cut down. The roots of the tree probably remained alive.

By: Barry d.

Barry d. — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:51:14 +0000

I notice an increase of cicadas on my garage and home. I wondered why and thought maybe it was because I cut a maple tree down just before the cicadas came out of the ground this summer. Perhaps there was several 17 yrs ago on that maple tree? when they come out of the ground do they tend to migrate toward the tree they started in?

By: sue

sue — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:03:18 +0000

I’ve noticed our backyard birds have largely disappeared since the 13 year cicadas are in our woods. Squirrels are scarse also. Are they eating cicadas? Thanks, Sue

By: Ellen

Ellen — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:06:34 +0000

I actually want to thank you for all the information on cicadas. I honestly hated them, but then when I read this I realized that they have many purposes and really are sad little creatures that help more than they hurt. I feel sorry for them a bit, because their main purpose is just to provide: help feed the birds and make trees & seeds grow better the next year. I think they are misunderstood. With this huge outbreak, the next time someone says, “I HATE these things!” I will try and change their minds, because really they aren’t that bad. I used to play with them when I was little, and now I realize my mom let me because they were harmless to me. That’s why I feel bad for them I think, because they are truly helpless! (No stingers and they don’t bite!)

By: Jacqui Wade

Jacqui Wade — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:23:07 +0000

Dan,

Thanks for the good answers to my question. The answer about the crows makes great sense to me. Today, I saw a squirrel munching on a dead cicada! Hey, they are edible and some human cultures love to eat them. So, why not squirrels? Have a great weekend.

Jacqui

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:30:51 +0000

Cicadas true natural predators are a species of fungus, and underground, moles and voles. Above ground pretty much anything will eat them, but a few things can happen that can happen that make birds shy away:
1) cicadas use a strategy called predator satiation; they purposely sacrifice their lives as food for predators, so the predators get full of cicadas, and some are able to escape and mate. Imagine the birds feel like they’ve eaten a big Thanksgiving dinner — they just go off to snooze in front of the tv and digest the food for a while (the bird equivalent of tv).
2) the calls of cicadas might annoy crows so much that they avoid them. I believe birds like crows rely on a more complex set of calls to communicate than most birds, so being able to hear each other could be very important to them, so they intentionally avoid the sonic interference caused by the cicadas.
3) predators are not accustomed to these cicadas because they only emerge every 13 years. some predators probably are eager to avoid the “insanity” of a cicada emergence. I know a lot of people would not blame them.

By: Jacqui Wade

Jacqui Wade — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:25:47 +0000

My property is infested with “13 year” Cicadas, and that is O.k. now that I’m use to them and know that soon their season will be over. However, I noticed that for the first few weeks of their presence, I did not see the usual birds–mainly Crows–that also inhabit my area. Don’t birds eat cicads? What are the cicadas’ natural predators? I live in middle Tennessee. I would very much like an answer to my questions. Thjanks.

Jacqui

By: D

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:39:56 +0000

I was wondering why God put Cicadas on earth, so many people seem to be complaining about them! I think they’re great. The last time they came around I was a little girl and I remember whacking our bushes with a stick and literally an entire beach bucket full of them would drop in, it seemed like so much fun for my brother and I! But now, I just feel a lot of respect for this bug, I mean a 17 year old bug? Whose ever heard of another one like that?? It’s amazing, I can’t believe I have to wait another 17 years to see them! They are very interesting, so much so I got online to do some research because I really don’t know too much about them. Between the encyclopedia with info. on Brood 14 and your opinions on their purposes, I feel a little more enlightened. Everyone give Cicadas the respect they deserve. They’re only here for a short time, like a comet, enjoy it!