The Cicada FAQ!

Frequently Answered Questions:

This FAQs are primarily for North American annual and periodical (17 & 13 year, Magicicada, "locusts") cicadas.

1. Is it true that someone has offered a reward for blue-eyed cicadas?
2. Is there such thing as an albino cicada?
3. How can I tell a male from a female?
4. I found a poor cicada with nasty shriveled up wings. Why does it have nasty shriveled up wings?
5. Why do they stay underground for 17 years?
6. What purpose do they serve?
7. Can they see?
8. You can see letters on a cicada's wings: either W or P. W means there will be war, P means there will be peace. Is this true?
9. Do cicadas pee, and if so, why?
10. How do you pronounce Cicada?
11. Where can I find Cicada Sounds on the Web?
12. How come I have cicadas in my neighborhood, but your chart said I shouldn't? or How come I don't have cicadas in my neighborhood, yet your chart indicates that I should?
13. Are cicadas locusts?
14. Will the cicadas kill my trees, shrubs and flowers?
15. Do cicadas bite or sting?
16. I dug up a white grub / larvae in my back yard. Is it a cicada?
17. Are cicadas toxic or poisonous?
18. Is it safe for my pets to eat cicadas?
19. Is it safe for my kids to eat cicadas?
20. There are supposed to be cicadas in my area. How come I don't see any?
21. Once there were cicadas in my area, but now there are none. Why?
22. How do they make that noise?
23. What do they eat?
24. What is a deciduous tree?
25. How long does a Magicicada emergence last?
26. What are the life stages of a cicada?
27. What is the life span of a cicada?
28. How many kinds of cicadas are there?
29. How many kinds of Magicicadas are there?
30. When do I get to see Magicicada cicadas?
31. Are cicadas katydids?
32. What wasp eats the cicada?
33. Where can I buy cicadas online?
34. What is the Latin root word for cicada?
35. If these cicadas appear every 17 years, then why is it that they are listed to appear in some areas like every 4 years?
36. "I have seen many cicadas missing an abdomen, due to damage from outside forces (i.e., me) still survive. From time to time, I see many heads with attached wings still climbing the trees. Why are they still alive, and what goal are they trying to accomplish?"
37. Are there 7-year cicadas?
38. Are cicadas June Bugs?

Question: Is it true that someone has offered a reward for blue-eyed North American periodic cicadas?
Answer: That's false. It's an urban legend. Although rare and cool no one has placed a bounty on their teeny heads.

Question: Is there such thing as an albino cicada?
Answer: No. When most cicadas first emerge they are white in color. Gradually, their bodies become a darker color. Some take longer than others to change. Some die before the change can occur.

Question: How can I tell a male from a female?
Answer: If it is singing, it's a male. The next best way is to flip them over and look at their belly. If the belly is streamlined and comes to a point like a sharpened pencil, it's a female. If the belly is fat and cigar-like and the end kind of looks like the top of the Capitol building in Washington D.C., it's a male.

Question: I found a poor cicada with nasty shriveled up wings. Why does it have nasty shriveled up wings?
Answer: There are a number of possibilities including malnutrition and fungus.

Question: Why do they stay underground for 17 years?
Answer: There are a number of theories. Most likely they've developed this rhythm to avoid predators. Climate events -- perhaps the Ice Age -- are also factor.

Question: What purpose do they serve?
Answer: Watch TV, drive SUVs... oh wait, that's what humans do. Cicadas serve a number of purposes. They aid their host trees by aerating the soil when they emerge, as well as trimming weaker branches then they lay their eggs. They also form a vital link in the food chain between trees and literally hundreds of carnivores and omnivores, including: squirrels, birds, toads, raccoons, possums, other insects, people, and even fungi!

Question: Can they see?
Answer: They sure can! Get under a tree of periodical cicadas and they'll make a unique "ratcheting" sound to announce your presence. Most people assume that periodical cicadas can't see because they're abysmal flyers (compared to graceful butterflies) and because they're slow to move when approached. Periodical cicadas don't bother to escape when confronted, and the reason is they don't have to -- since they emerge in HUGE numbers, some of their species are bound to survive no matter what. They devote their energy and limited time above ground to calling and mating, rather than running away from each and every possible predator.

Question: You can see letters on a cicada's wings: either W or P. W means there will be war, P means there will be peace. Is this true.?
Answer: It's very true that you can see the shapes of letters in a cicadas wings. Consider this an "old wives tale" or "urban legend". If you're worried about war, consider that there is a war going on somewhere in the world at all times.

Question: Do cicadas pee, and if so, why?
Short Answer: Because, like humans, they have to.
Answer: Courtesy of Les Daniels, author of the Great Lakes Cicada site:
"I've experienced this several times where I was on the receiving end of this artificial rain. When many cicadas congregate on warm days, they feed on the tree fluids and often urinate 'piss' while doing so. This bug urine is called 'honey dew.' The little buggers have pelted me several times while I was observing a little 'too' close. It isn't uncommon.
Lastly, the 'honey dew' does not stain, or stink. In fact, it feels like rain drops."

Question: How do you pronounce Cicada?
Answer: According to the dictionary: si-kah-da or si-kay-da. Either way is good.

Question: Where can I find Cicada Sounds on the Web?
Answer: Visit our Cicada Links page and look for links marked with the AUDIO label. There's also a Magicicada sound file on this site.

Question: How come I have cicadas in my neighborhood, but the Are they coming to your town? page indicates that I shouldn't?
Answer: That's because the Are they coming to your town? page only applies to Magicicada/Periodical/17&13 year cicadas which are a specific Genus of cicada. You've found another type of cicada, probably a Tibicen, Diceroprocta, or Okanagana.

Question: How come I don't have cicadas in my area, but the Are they coming to your town? page indicates that I should?
Answer: That's because the Are they coming to your town? page indicates areas where Magicicada might emerge - in other words, there's a chance they'll emerge in your area, but it is not certain that they will. You won't find them in everybody's back yard. If you don't have many deciduous trees in your neighborhood, you probably won't find any. Pesticides, development, extreme weather conditions and tree removal are also factors. There are no guarantees.

Question: Are cicadas locusts?
Answer: NO! True locusts belong to the same family of insects as grasshoppers, in fact they look just like a grasshopper. The confusion stems from the fact that both Locusts and Magicicada emerge in periodic swarms. Locusts are far more destructive, destroying all plant life in their path. Cicadas just fly around trees and kill a few branches here and there.

Question: Will the cicadas kill my trees, shrubs and flowers?
Answer: Possibly. Cicadas don't kill flowers and shouldn't damage shrubs, but they can do damage to young, wimpy trees like ornamentals. If you have wimpy little trees, you can net them to keep the cicadas off. Tree species that aren't native to North America won't fare as well as native species. Trees that lose a lot of branches typically revive after a year or two, but they will be ugly in the mean time. Cicadas actually are a benefit to trees, as they destroy the weaker branches. Please don't use pesticides -- you'll destroy the good bugs as well and the "nuisance" bugs, and ultimately do your garden and the environment a huge disfavor.

Question: Do cicadas bite or sting?
Answer: No. Cicadas aren't equipped to bite or sting. They do have prickly feet and a beak which can pinch or scratch. If they confuse you with a tree branch they might try to drink fluids from you or lay some eggs in you, which you would definitely feel.

Question: I dug up a white grub in my back yard. Is it a cicada?
Answer: Maybe. Just about every insect goes through a larval phase, and they pretty much all look alike to the novice. Unlike beetle larvae, cicada larvae or nymphs are not long-bodied like grubs. If it was sucking on a root, looks just like a nymph and is soft and white, then it's probably a cicada.

Question: Are cicadas toxic or poisonous?
Answer: No, but just in case, try not to eat too many. They will become toxic if you spray them with pesticides - so don't. An I bet eating too many would give you the gout.

Question: Is it safe for my pets to eat cicadas?
Answer: Pets may choke on cicadas, or gorge themselves and become ill. Cicadas tainted with pesticide could kill your pets. Keep an eye on your pets -- don't panic if they eat a few, but check to see if they vomit or choke. Big stupid dogs love them.

Question: Is it safe for my kids to eat cicadas?
Answer: For legal reasons (so you can't sue me when your kid turns blue after eating a pail full of these bugs) I won't say yes or no. Asian peoples (and a few Cicada Mania readers) have enjoyed eating cicadas for centuries. Like pets, your children may choke on them or gorge themselves and become ill. Please consult your child's doctor if you're concerned.

Question: There are supposed to be cicadas in my area. How come I don't see any?
Answer: You won't find them in everybody's back yard. If you don't have many deciduous trees in your neighborhood, you probably won't find any. Pesticides, construction, extreme weather conditions and tree removal are also factors. There are no guarantees.

Question: Once there were cicadas in my area, but now there are none. Why?
Answer: Pesticides, construction, extreme weather conditions and tree removal are all good reasons.

Question: How do they make that noise?
Answer: Only the males make the noise. They have drum like membranes on their abdomen called tymbals that vibrate very quickly, creating the creepy tones. Every species of cicada has a unique call. The frequency and tone of their calls is related to the temperature, and the time of day. Females can make a clicking noise with their wings, but it's nothing like the noise the males make.

Question: What do they eat?
Answer: Most cicadas subsist solely on the fluids of a living deciduous tree. Magicicada adults live off the fat stored in their bodies but they are capable of sucking fluids from trees. As larvae and nymphs they suck tree fluids from the roots of deciduous trees. If you capture a cicada, giving the creature a broken branch to suck on probably won't nourish it. You best bet is to take a picture or some video and then release it.

Question: What is a deciduous tree?
Answer: Essentially, a tree that loses its leaves each fall, like maples, oaks and fruit trees.

Question: How long does a Magicicada emergence last?
Answer: About six weeks.

Question: What are the life stages of a cicada?
Answer: (1) The Egg. They look like rice. (2) The Larvae. Once they hatch they look like a cross between wiggly rice and a termite. They suck on the branch they hatched on for a while, they fall to earth and begin digging in search of a root. (3) The Nymph. Once they've been sucking on the root for a while they become nymphs. Once the time is right, the nymph crawls to the surface, and crawls up the nearest tree. (4) the Adult. Once they crawl from the ground and anchor themselves to what they think is a tree (I've seen them on barbecues, stone wall and garden hoses) they molt, leaving their nymph skin behind. Their wings dry and they start looking for a mate. Once they mate, they die. Your dog eats the remains.

Question: What is the life span of a cicada?
Answer: That depends on the Genus and species of the cicada. The Magicicada Genus of North America has a 17 or 13 year life cycle (the largest of any insect). Other Geniuses of cicadas have life cycles of a variety of years (never more than 17 and usually a primary number). The Tibicen or "dog day" cicada has a life cycle of only a couple of years and which is one of the reasons why we see them each year.

Question: How many kinds of cicadas are there?
Answer: Hundreds of varieties of cicadas live in North America alone. The two best known cicadas in North America are the Magicicada, AKA "the 17 year locust", and the Tibicen, AKA "the Dog Day cicada". Thousands of varieties of cicadas live around the world.

Question: How many kinds of Magicicadas are there?
Answer: There are seven species of Magicicada. The 17 year varieties: septendecim, cassini, septendecula, and the 13 year varieties: neotredecim, tredecim, tredecassini and tredecula. Each species is slightly different in coloring, song or other attributes.

Question: When do I get to see Magicicada cicadas?
Answer: You might hear them first. This depends on where you live, but here's a helpful chart to determine when they'll be appearing next. There are maps on the magicicada.org site.

Question: Are cicadas katydids?
Answer: NO. These are katydids.

Question:What eats the cicada? I have found a bee-like insect that I don't know the name of. But someone has told me that they eat cicada's? Do you happen to know the name?
Answer: The "Cicada Killer Wasp" -- yes, that's its real name!
http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~hollidac/cicadakillerhome.html. Besides the Cicada Killer Wasp, just about anything else will eat them as well.

Question:Where can I buy cicadas online?
Answer: Try ebay or the Buy Cicadas section of our links page.

Question: What is the Latin root word of cicada?
Answer: I've read two different claims: 1) cicada is derived from the Latin word for cicada, and 2) cicada is derived from the Latin word for slave.

Question:If these cicadas appear every 17 years, then why is it that they are listed to appear almost every year?
Answer: Good question. Magicicadas emerge in what's known as Broods -- which you can think of as families or tribes. Each Brood emerges in 17 (or 13) year cycles. There can be more than one Brood in a state or even the same area, which is why you have emergences happening every 4 years or less in certain areas. Broods never get a chance to interbreed, so they're usually genetically different than other broods, and are often comprised of different species (Magicicada is a Genus name not a species).

Question:"I have seen many living cicadas missing an abdomen. Why are they still alive?"
Answer: Most cicadas are missing abdomens because of fungal infections and predators. They keep on crawling because of the natural will to mate and survive -- off course they'll die soon and never breed because their sex organs are gone.

Question:Are there 7-year cicadas?
Answer: Maybe, but when people say 7-year cicadas, they probably mean 17 year cicadas. Magicicadas emerge in 17 (or 13) year cycles.

Question:Are cicadas June Bugs?
Answer: NO. Many people confuse June Bug larvae for cicada larvae.