Hi Elias — Pinnaquid — so you do know the area! I’m on Winside and Winside was covered with those cicadas from where Winside begins by Wedgewood all the way down to the end of Winside. It was strange that they weren’t all over Coram. Port Jefferson also reported one street that had them. Other than that, I hadn’t heard of any other close by areas like Selden or Medford having any. Cathy
Thanks for writing back. I was also in Newsday regarding the cicadas. The article regarding Coram came out a few days later! I made a trip to your town but did not see the massive numbers reported. Also only a few blocks had some decent chorusing. It was strange how patchy the emergence was. One block would have nothing and another block would be covered! I was on the legendary Pinnaquid road for a while. It sounds like they have survived by you and we should see them again in 2025! Take care
Elias
Here’s an update (Yes we do have a life, but this is the highlight of my daughter’s life right now!):
Our cicada nymph is balanced on just it’s two front legs that look like claws. All four of the longer legs are sticking straight out. Is it dead? Is it molting? Is is contemplating its future? How long do you think it will be before we know the answers to these burning questions? Daughter and I got to watch a cicada molt last Summer whilst it was stuck to a tree, so I know that the process of molting is a long, long, one. Just curious to know, if it is dead, when to know for sure so I can dispose of it properly. Thanks!! Great website, BTW!!!
Vicki
Thanks for the reply! We have had the little fella in a plastic bug house that has screen on the two long sides. He’s been hanging out on about a 4″ piece of tree bark that we placed in there too. He’s moving around here and there, not too much. Unfortunately, it appears that he has an injured or deformed back RT “leg” (don’t know cicada nymph anatomy) b/c it is staying bent and moving very little while he moves the other legs freely. He occasionally falls over on his back, in the direction of the bent leg. Thoughts??
Vicki — keep it in warm place, but not in direct sunlight. A good idea is to put some netting around a branch (so birds can’t get it) and place it in there. If you can’t do that, place a branch in the cage for it to climb.
Vicki again… did more poking around on your website and learned that it was the nymph that we discovered, not the larva. It appears to be getting ready to molt.
Anyway, same question applies: Anything we can do to facilitate the molting process?
Thanks!
My daughter and I found a cicada still in its shell (is that a larva?)and brought it home to watch it move around, presumably getting ready to “hatch.” We placed in daughter’s well ventilated bug house and sat it on a piece of bark for it to stick to. Anything we can do to ease its transition into adulthood? It keeps falling upside down off the bark we placed in there for it, and daughter goes in and rights it.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
I found what I believe is a Cicada. I let it crawl around my hands my orange cat found it but wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was bright green wings and more tan body than dark like most of the pictures on the web. I placed it in the bushes for safety and turn my head for a second. My new kitten came from nowhere and eat its wings but didn’t kill it. I put it in a wood pile for safety. will the wings grow back or is it doomed?
I was outside of Big Bear California this past weekend and we saw (and heard) many cicadas flying around (one guy who didn’t know what they were named them orange lined bird bugs). One landed on me and began to walk around a bit while a friend took photos. After a few moments of walking around, I saw the mouth part come down and I felt a mild twinge of pain. But cicadas don’t bite! Well, I took some time to research more (which led me here) and I found a site that says “Basically, periodical cicadas can hurt you only if they mistake you for a tree branch and try to feed, something that can happen only if you hold a cicada in your hand for a very long time (eventually this makes the cicada hot and thirsty). Such rare mistakes feel like a brief pinprick and cause no damage.” I have to say that this guy was not on my hand for a very long time. Obviously I’m fine. We found the insect again after my involuntary hand flick of surprise and saw that the abdomen was gaping open in two place an we could see inside. Perhaps from a bird? Anyway, the point of all this is, here is a photo of a cicada trying to tap into human skin, taken an instant before I shook it off. http://www.xterrawolf.com/images/driversed/driving02.jpg
I would keep an eye on them. Even though they seem to have taken a beating, I’d bet they will bounce back. I have seen some small trees really badly damaged last June, but seems they came back this spring.
Not much you can do about them though. Hope for the best. Check my website seventeenyearcicada.com for some images of trees that took the hit.
I figured that the cicadas would instinctively avoid killing trees, but that didn’t happen in my case. If there was ever a situation where Cicadas have infested anything, it’s right here at my house. Five of my trees were nearly completely shredded by the females. All of my these were maple trees. My cherry, apple, and pear trees will probably survive with only damage to the top third of the trees. One of my dogwood trees also took a beating.
The cicadas don’t generally kill trees…you should understand they lay eggs so that the next brood will survive, and a dead tree won’t help their cause. Somehow, they KNOW this and control their egg laying to minimize tree limb damage. By next season, the trees will have recovered just fine. They will last maybe four or five weeks and then be gone completely. Just enjoy them…they don’t bite and don’t do anything except make noise and mate.
I planted a regular cherry tree and a weeping cherry tree the last week of April. The cicadas came around May 18. I couldn’t figure out why the regular cherry tree hasn’t bloomed somewhat — just a couple of brown leaves on top. The weeping cherry was doing good until I noticed a few days ago that all of its leaves were turning brown along with the old trees near it. I snipped the branches of the regular cherry tree to see if there was any life in them but there’s not. Should I get rid of it or wait it out? If the weeping cherry was doing good until now, is it still worth holding onto?
The female cicadas have killed the tops of all of my small trees. My trees have hundreds of half-inch rips in the branches where they deposited their eggs. The tops have all turned brown and broken off. I had about 10 5 to 8 foot trees. Now they are about 3 to 5 feet tall. I know it’s too late now, but what could I have done to prevent this? I occasionally walked around and shook the cicadas off the trees, but I couldn’t do that all the time.
I came home yesterday to quiet. Not a single cicada was flying. It’s been exactly one month since the invasion hit my block here on Long Island, New York. Now I just have the clean up — wings, shells, and dead cicadas. I can say without a doubt — I SURVIVED A CIRCADA INVASION!
I think the cicadas are awesome to listen to. I am fearful however of them getting on me. Do they bite? I can rest easier if I know that they do not bite.
We live in Central PA around Huntingdon, we have so many cicada’s that my daughter and I can not go outside because of the loud high-pitch sounds they are making. How long will they continue their singing? I loved to sit outside to hear all the beautiful birds chirping, but can’t hear them because of the loud noise of these cicada’s. We drown out the sound of the cicada’s with our air conditioner. P.S. My husband doesn’t mind the sound!
Message by Donna Brubaker — June 8, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
Deb — I’ve called 6 exterminating places. They all said there was nothing they could do. One said you needed a special license and I should call a lawn care place. I called 2 of them. I got the same response — there’s nothing they can do that will control or eliminate them. I’ve sprayed the ones on my front porch with bug spray (which does work) just so I can get out the door.
My pool is surrounded on 3 sides by woods — which are INFESTED with these brood 14 noise-makers! I can hardly keep up with keeping the pool filters clear — is there any way to get rid of them (e.g., spray, noise, etc.)? I can’t imagine dealing with these for another 3-4 weeks….
My husband was at our local hardware store, and heard it mentioned that cicadas eat gypsy moth catapillars. Of course the adult cicada doesn’t, but I was wondering if the juveniles eat them. Is there any truth to this at all? I live in Bellefonte, PA and the gypsy moth catapillars were descending upon/munching on our trees about 3 weeks before a VERY LARGE brood of cicadas emerged. I know the emergence of the brood isn’t related to the gypsy moth. Any info is greatly appreciated!
From my understanding, cicadas make holes in branches to lay their eggs. I have cicadas that have moved onto the posts around my above ground swimming pool. Are they or will they make holes in the metal of the posts and destroy my swimming pool?
They arrived here in my backyard on Long Island (Suffolk County) about a week ago. My dog was bringing them in — about one a day. I decided to look around and see what he was eating and where he was getting them from. There were hundreds on my fence, in the trees, in the grass. I called five exterminating companies but they said there was nothing that could be done — just wait it out. I can understand the fascination with them but they’re still disgusting when there’s so many of them in one place!
When will they go away. The noise at my house is killing my ears and head. I seem to be the only one in my family affected by the sound. My kids love to find and carry them around. I don’t mind them, but the noise is awful.
The Cicadas have arrived in our trees. We are 30 miles northwest of Nashville, TN. They seem to like our sycamore trees. So far, they are drying out. No noise yet. It looks like a pretty good crop of them. Does anyone know how long it takes from coming out of their shell to singing their “songs”?
I just moved from the west coast to Statham, GA (a small town between Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, It didn’t look like from the map that the cicadas would reach this far south, will I see any cicadas this summer?
We’re planning a graduation for my niece and would like to know if cicadas are less active in the evening - especially Brood XIV - which are already emerging at my sister’s house in Loveland OH.
Tim,
I know the American species usually last 4 to 6 weeks. Rain won’t kill them, but it will silence them. And Australia doesn’t have 17 year cicadas — you’re just having a particularly hearty crop this year.
cicadas have invaded all of our gum trees on our property, it started about 5 days ago they just started up it’s strange because we have never had them before, The sound is horrific and they only stop at night then start up again about 9 am.
I live in Victoria, Australia in the north east and was wondering when will these things die ?
Does rain kill them ?
Am i experiencing a 17 yr cycle thing ?
I really new to the realm of cicadas and am really here just to ask a single question (though I have had fun perusing piccies).
I’m in Adelaide, South Australia, to the south of the Adelaide Plain, at the base of the foothills of the Adelaide Hills. For the first time in my memory, this year, we have had an abundance of cicadas of one particular type in the area. Calling from the tree tops in suburbia are these loud single click calls. And there are plenty of them. We’ve even seen a few flying around. The clicks occur all day during warm weather, but increase at dusk during those lovely warm summery evenings we get here.
I tend to associate the sound with coastal sand dunes and tend to think that this is where I’ve heard them before…just never near my house. (I live approximately 3 to 4 miles from the beach).
Now I can give you a pretty lousy description from a chance sighting one afternoon. The cicada we saw was black with orange or red eyes and an orange stripe on its abdomen. Sorry for the vagueness, but it was a chance sighting. If I had anything between my ears I would have grabbed the camera, because the identity of these insects have been bugging me ever since.
Now I’m hoping that someone can poke me in the right direction to identifying this cicada. As far as I can see online, there are very few cicadas in South Australia compared to the other states (Queensland seems to be a noisy place cicada-wise) so I’m hoping the search can be fairly narrow (in a huge family such as this one).
Any help greatly appreciated.
Best wishes,
Gumnut
(determined to discover that bug’s identity)
I too am an observer. Tell me if anyone else noticed that the Cicadas gravitate toward the moonlight when they come out of the ground for their first walk on the surface. The moment they emered from the ground, there was a uniformity, almost like soldiers, when the walked up our hill. The cicadas found on the trees and telephone poles were on the moomlit side…always. Anyone notice this as a pattern?
Today I noticed that this is the first year I have not heard one cicada… and I strongly believe that NYC has killed them & alot of other vital insects necessary to our eco system… how can we stop this destructive spraying which is mainly to make money!
Some co-workers and I have been marvelling at the buzzing of the cicadas in the small forested area outside of our workplace. We hadn’t actually seen one until the other day when one appeared on the outside of the building. It did not move however and stayed there for three days. I figured it probably died so i nudged it gently with a stick. It fell to the ground where I gave it another poke and it moved its leg. Okay, so it is not dead but probably dying. A day later it was back on the wall. It had traveled about two feet on the ground and three feet up the building. What is it doing? Is it going into some sort of hibernation? For reference it is late August in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thanks
I am noticing a steady decline in the amount of cicada calls I hear daily. Recently they did aerial spraying of pesticides to kill the mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus. Is it possible that the pesticide is killing the cicadas, or is it normal for them to start dying off in August?
I live in Sacramento, California. Our cicadas seem to be Okanagana-something(rimosa?).
The Cicadas have invaded NJ early according to the charts. These past few weeks we’ve noticed them and also holes in our yard (which we didn’t realize were from them-we thought they might have been moles or the like.) We’ve had enough problems trying to grow grass lately, and now we have these holes…what a mess! We had trees removed last year and I guess they’re feeding on the roots that are left.Looks like we’ll be having a project in the spring fixing up the damage. My dog & I have already hurt ourselves in the ruts. Glad they won’t be around for much longer.
A cicada landed on my leg on my back porch. I caught it and brought it inside to be able to show my grandkids, but it got away. Will it hurt my house plants? Will it lay eggs in them? I can’t find it anywhere.
Thank you, if you reply. I’ve been searching for someone who may be able to tell me.
Why hasen’t the editor of this site seen fit to post the news article (submitted & received by editor)that included a photo of the Cicada powered airplane my son & I built & tested?
Also, you might want to read an Internet site on Grasshopper Glacier in Montana & the giant gresshoppers that are found frozen into it!
Dick
Hey Scott,
The photo on the front page are individual eggs taken from a small eggnest in an ash tree branch. Apparently cicada eggs get moisture from the live branches because these took about a week to dry up after being removed.
Are the eggs in the photo shown on your website indivdiaul egges, or is each one a sac/cluster of eggs?
Thanks for a great website!
Message by Scott Williams — July 24, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Hey…i have one of these little gems …i have the shell…and the bug…I live in Ontario Canada….Hamilton…
I am 45 years old…and have never seen one…im thrilled to finaly see what all the fuss is about!!
Cicada Mania: I just wanted to say thanks and ask you one question is the magicicadas the cicadas that only come to north america?
- Thanks in advance,
Courtney.
Alex:
You found a magicicada over there? I could hear but not see any and didn’t find any exit holes; nothing. Just heard the singing, re-re-re-re-re-reeeeeee.
I live not too far from there and we have had the same type for about a week or two now. I’m enjoying the singing! =O)
Hey John,
What you ae seeing is the damage done by cicada females that have laid their eggs into each branch. They use a sharp needle like appendage called an ovipositor that will cut into a twig & deposit eggs. The act of piercing a branch will weaken the structure & sometimes stop the flow of sap causing broken branches & browned leaves.
All the trees in our area, and we are next to a forest preserve, have large tips turned brown and are dead. The large dead branches fall from the trees onto the street and lawns, this especially during the storm of yesterday.
Some say the cicada have sucked the sap from these tips. What, in fact, is causing the tips to die like this?
Seems like the Kimball/Elston area is a late bloomer, huh. I found a lone one on the sidewalk near Kimball and Montrose today. Scurried up my arm looking for a place to emerge from it’s shell.
Put it in a fish tank with climbing twigs, and just as I finished it’s home the little thing checked out the branches and found one to settle on. It immediately began emerging.
Wow. I spent the last couple of hours watching it’s transformation.
Nature is wonderful. This is what life is about!
Now I must find a safe place with other cicadas so the cycle can continue.
They are still plentiful and very active in Blue Star Memorial Forest Preserves on Lake Avenue in Glenview as of today, July 3rd. They seem to be a later group than those in Schiller Woods as there are barely any dead bodies in the Glenview preserve. Hurray!!!! Had much fun playing with the little darlings. =0)
Is it possible our 17 Year friends are just emerging in the city near Kimball and Elston? I heard but didn’t see some kind of cicadas today, July 2nd in 3 or 4 very tall trees.
I found a bug on the sidewalk in my backyard this evening, and it caught my attention b/c it looked just like a cicada. I thought they only came out every 17 years, stayed for a while, then died off. He was huge! Bigger than the average bettle and he was just slowly walking around. He seemed to be following the flashlight as we stared at him in aww. He looked very old didn’t appear to have any wings. Is it normal for them to still be around since the last time they were here? And if so, do they loose their wings and just walk around?
hey i am a student going into 9th grade and i have to find 6 legged bugs and if i get a rare one i will get an A+ and i think they will be around for a lil while longer
Message by randie potter — June 29, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
I’m in Oak lawn and have only spotted a small handful of cicada’s by my house and it was only for one day.We had a storm that was blowing in from the south all day last week on tuesday the 20th and that’s the only time they were here.I took pictures,held them,and was just excited to see them again.I was only 4 years old the first time I experienced them way back in 1973 at Brookfield Zoo and at that time I was horrified of them.Now at 38 I’m fascinated by them but have to travel to other areas to find them.Does anyone know if more will emerge in Oak Lawn before they are gone?
I was surprized to see an cicada in Lillooet British Columbia this year, I never seen one before but maybe they could have been here all the time…. I would think i would have noticed them before as it was pretty big 26mm long. I have pictures and I will try and post at least one on this site.
I live in central Oak Park. I walked around the neighborhood on Memorial Day weekend several times in order to determine whether the nymphs were emerging. I saw one newly emerged adult cicada on 25 May on 200 block of N. Kenilworth-and then nothing for a couple of weeks. Now, in the past two weeks, I’ve seen quite a few cicadas-mostly confined to the parks, though-just a few in the neighborhoods. I wonder why the late-emergence here in Oak Park? River Forest and Maywood lie immediately to the west and they’ve had them for some time-now rapidly dying off. I think cicadas are fascinating as bugs go but I can empathize with folks who have to deal with that constant buzzing.
Many of the trees near me have brown leaves. I have read it’s because the females have laid eggs in those branches but why would the leaves turn brown? Do the eggs kill the tree branches? I would love to see a picture of the eggs in a branch but can’t seem to find one.
Some of you will be happy. I just came back from the Lagrange woods. As I turned from joliet rd onto Lagrange rd, there was nothing but silence. I drove through the entrance into the woods, and to my surprise, there were only a few pockets in the woods, where the cicadas were still singing. There were many on the ground that were dying. I actually had 1 cicada drop on the hood of my car backwards on his back. I did try to turn him over on his feet so he could fly away, but he could not even stand. But the whole time he was watching me as if to say thanks for trying. Remember,we are ALL Gods creatures.
I know this group of cicadas are known as Brood XIII, but do groups of cicadas have a name like “gaggle of geese”, “murder of crows”, “pack of dogs”, etc.?
Living in the western suburbs near Lombard, cicada heaven. Work near Elmhurst, more cicado heaven.
Any idea when they will be gone? I am tired of running to the car and avoiding outside. I’ve had them landing in my food, on my shoulders, hit me in the eyes. I don’t mind the yearly ones, since they seem to stay in the trees.
Any idea? I know they are a wonder of nature, but enough already.
In most places, the cicadas will die off by early July. The southernmost Illinois populations are already beginning to wane.
Message by Dave Marshall — June 18, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
Is there any way I can get rid of these things? I own a 16 acre area in Wisconsin, and nearly all of it but our large yard is trees. Swarms of them make noises so loud I find it impossible to go outside because I get horrible headaches, and they swarm all over when I am out. How long until they naturally leave the aera (south WI)?
At our Cub Scout Webelos overnighter, my son decided to spear, roast and eat a cicada. He told the other boys that it tasted like peanut butter. This encouraged other scouts to try them, including one boy who put one on a smore and ate it.
Message by Colleen Gammon — June 17, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Just Arrived I live in Berwyn,il. There were none at all until today June 14 flag day. I travel these roads everyday,but today I was surpised when driving right by mcneal hospital,I saw several fly past. Then you could hear them. They are not as loud as in other areas, but I think they got a late start because it was so quiet.So this may extend their welcome far past july 1st.If Svengoulie reads these messages, then maybe he will do a show on Cicadas in Berwyn.
WHEN WILL THEY BE GONE? So many people have asked and no answers. I’ve heard everything from 3 weeks to 10 weeks. It’s a total nightmare where I live and causes me great anxiety.
I am in Aurora IL and have not seen a single cicada! I’m looking for an emergence map that shows abundant sightings as close to home as possible … Any suggestions?
When will they stop flying?!? I am fine with them cozied up in their trees but I can’t wear a windbreaker, hood pulled tight, for another 90 degree day. I think they’re cool and I like looking at them and learning about them, but… how many more days someone give me a countdown for my own state of mind. By the way… I live in Lombard (emerged May 21 in force in my yard) and I work in Hinsdale (cicada mecca) I need a break. Thanks and buzz on boys, buzz on.
Perhaps with so many cicadas overcrowding certain trees, they move away from the competition to have a chance to get noticed and get the girl, so to speak. Who knows?
Thanks Lucy. That’s what I was thinking too. It’s just weird. It seems more than just wind-blown randomness. There’s a lot, but not hordes. Almost like they’re purposely migrating. And I’m noticing increasing amounts everyday. At a time where I expected them to be dying, they seem pretty lively overhere all of the sudden. Thanks for responding.
I watched the “Return of the Cicadas” documentary a few weeks ago, and it said they can be blown around by strong winds/rain. We had a couple of really windy days a week of so ago; maybe some ended up in trees away from where they were “born? Or maybe they move to trees that are not so conjested. Just a guess.
I work in Wheaton and live in Aurora. Both locations are ‘newer’ developments, where I didn’t expect to see Cicadas. Only since June 11th, have I started seeing/hearing Cicadas. I now see them constantly at work and they are buzzing in the trees all over by my house, and everywhere in between. I know they did not ‘emerge’ here, but alas, here they are. I thought they didn’t fly very far. I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to how/why they’ve arrived seemingly everywhere I go now. Any know?
I just came back from the lagrange ill forest preserves. While I was driving down lagrange rd, I decided to turn in to the forest preserves. Although while driving in the area it was very loud,it was almost like a horror movie on tv when I turned into the woods.There must be millons in the woods.I plan on going back several times to hear and see this part of nature.I suggest if you can,go see and hear for yourself.It is truly a remakable part of nature and earth.PS dont be afraid because they are not.
When is the madness going to end?? I have dead cicadas all over my patio and sidewalks yet there seem to be three times as many flying around then before. Everytime I leave my house and walk, more like run to my car I have to go through swarms of cicadas. For those of you who keep complaining about not seeing any you would have a different viewpoint if you had to live with it everyday and have fly into your face, hair, grocery bags, car, etc..
i just finally saw some cicadas in my neighborhood not to many but the sound was loud from what i heard i did not see them come out of the ground are they just flying near my house or are they getting a late start on it cause i heard they should be starting to die off soon
I live on the North Side of Ottawa, Illinois, and I’ve seen only one cicada! He [or she] was on the ground on the side of my house. Marseilles, on the other hand, is full of them! I am so jealous. Where are they? Will we even get them here, or what? I’m not completely sure if there are cicadas on the other sides of Ottawa, though. I’ve heard the answer is no. Anyone enlighten me?
I am so jealous of all the folks that have cicadas in their town. Wheaton has virtually none. I feel so left out. We actually went to Glen Ellyn to import some to our trees. I’m so sad…
I have a bunch of dead cicadas on my patio. Are these cicadas dead from other causes or are they the ones who have already mated? How long does it take for a cicada to die after it mates? I really, really hate these things but on the other hand I feel they should really live it up since it’s the last few weeks of their lives!
Hey Cicada Guy - Love the website. I check it daily here at my corporate headquarters. We are so anxious for the cicadas to hit our town (Milwaukee). We had wicked weather last night. Heavy rains, winds and tornados all around us in the suburbs. Do you think this will keep the cicadas from visiting us? Is is possible they can die off before they ever get a chance to live?
It is just past dusk and I just returned from inspecting the fence pickets in my back yard. In years past the annual cicadas have used the pickets as much as the trees to pop out of their shells. But, alas, still no activity in northeast Oak Park. All the conditions for emergence have been met including temperature, moisture and expediency (time is running out). Does anyone know if the subterranean nymphs sometimes bump into one another down there and actually communicate? Might they be saying “two more days to D-Day” (actually yesterday June 6) or “the big break is tonight, pack your bags”?
I need to record the sound of cicadas somewhere near New York City, ideally somewhere accessible from public transportation. Any suggestions on where to do this?
We had a great emergence of Cicadas on our property in Midlothian on 5/23-24, but today 6/7, there appears to be a second emergence greater than the first! Scads of them on the trees and VERY active in the air. I know they are affected by tempurature and it’s hot today, but there are more cicadas today than in the last 3 weeks. Does anyone know what’s up?
I too am terrified of them. I have daily panic attacks becuase they are EVERYWHERE. I live in Brookfield where they seem to live too. Can you tell me when this madness will end? Also, when will I stop seeing new ones? I cant handle it much longer. Though I found out if my fiance turns the sprinkler on….I can run to my car and I havnet been nailed yet.
Do we have an end date for these little buggers? I’m terrified of this whole “phenomenon.” I live in a wooded area and there are massive amounts. They are all over the sidewalks, the trees right outside my door, my car etc. They fly and land on me, I’m having anxiety attacks, this is a nightmare.
This morning on my way to work, i was driving with my window half way open, when all of a sudden i feel something hit me on the head. I looked to the backseat and happened to find a Cicada. The little fracker hit me on da head! lol….
Message by Miguel A. Beltran — June 6, 2007 @ 4:22 pm
Depends on how old the plumb tree is. Older trees do just fine — in fact fruit trees are know to produce more fruit the following year after a cicada emergence.
In my Mothers’ purple leave plum tree there are little holes in straight lines going around the trunk and up several of the larger branches, are these cicadas, and will they kill the tree, if so how can we stop them? My Mother and Father planted that tree when we were small, now he’s gone and we are grown, she would hate to lose the tree
Message by cassandra riddell — June 6, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
Here in South Texas, we comment about cicadas every summer. I saw what I thought was one a couple of days ago, but it doesn’t look like the cicadas I’ve seen on this site, and since they arrive every summer without fail, I am wondering whether or not they truly are cicadas. What can you tell me about their occurrence in South Texas, specifically San Antonio?
As of June 5, I have only seen one cicada shell on my daily run throughout Northeast Oak Park. I mistakenly thought the full moon would pull them out, but I was wrong. In the last few days it has been either too cold or too rainy. Why OP is two weeks behind the western burbs and one week behind the north shore, I do not know. Maybe it is the collective concentration of people in Oak Park trying to will them into action. Then again, it may be Oak Park’s heavy clay soil that I suspect may be providing a cooler than ideal 64 degree emergence trigger. These are all just guesses.
THe cicadas emerged Sunday evening May 27th in our backyard in Glenview. We could see them come out of the grass and watch as the grass moved with them. We watched them crawl up anything including my leg as they began their ascent. It was truly amazing to see them crack their shells an transform before our eyes. THe next morning HUNDREDS were on hostas, tree trunks, fence posts, our deck. They crawled and practiced short flights. This ritual continues even tonight, eight nights later. The numbers may be slightly fewer but all in all, we can’t believe SO many keep appearing!!!!!!!
Message by Sharon TIerney — June 4, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
Cicadas are prone to fungal infections. Sometimes the fungus expands until the abdomen falls off. I’ve seen walking cicada heads quite a few times. Male abdomens are also pretty much hollow, so that makes the situation more likely.
We were at The Grove in Glenview this past Saturday with our kids. We found about a dozen cicadas in the same location without bodies, just heads. They were alive and walking, and they were fully coordinated. I’m not talking about muscle twitches after an insect it killed, I’m talking fully alive cicadas walking with full motor coordination. They might have been able to fly, too, although I didn’t see them fly. They looked perfectly healthy and their wings were flawless, but they had no abdoman or thorax at all. We asked the experts at The Grove. They said that they had never seen cicadas like that, and said it must be a mutation of some sort. To me it didn’t look like they were born without bodies, and it didn’t look like an animal or insect ripped the bodies off because the wings were not torn up. It looked like they had simply dropped their bodies. You could see into their heads through their necks. There was dried light brown stuff that sealed the neck hole. The hole looked identical in all of the cicadas we found. Does anyone know if this is indeed a mutation or something else…perhaps a disease or parasite that makes the bodies fall off?
Sugar Grove Il here,
about 40 miles west of Chicago. I have not seen a single cicada as of yet. Even went to the forest preserve [bliss woods] not a darn cicada in sight. Are they not coming? I was planning on serving them to my inlaws for dinner this weekend, hee.. hee!
Hey…um….Buster, just wait until the cicadas die off in a few weeks. You will get plenty of stinky “cicada mulch” then. BTW if anyone on the board fishes the nymphs are great fish bait. The kids & I caught a few dozen catfish with them several years back.
Dan:
I wrote a couple of days ago, thanks for your comment regarding cicadas in Texas. You said Texas does not have 13/17-year, can you tell what species (Dallas), problem being our condo has an open (wrought iron gate) facing a creek, one can literally hear right through the garage area up 2-3 levels, sounds coming through walls, earphones do not work. My reposed question, isn’t it unusual to hear 24/7? Also, how long before these non-13/17-hear species cease noise (most always hot, as you know, in Texas)…thanks again.
I don’t get it. I live in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. The neighborhood is loaded with Cicadas. I went to the Forest Preserve (untouched for 40 years) and not one. Why?
I live in Roscoe (on the Wisconsin border, north of Rockford) and we have thousands and thousands of cicadas. We do live in the woods with many older oak trees. There is probably a 2 to 3 inch ring of “cicada mulch” around most of the trees, not to mention the driveway will need to be shoveled soon. The kids & dog are having a blast.
I live in the south end of Glenview Illinois and there are 10’s of thousands of ciadias around our house. Not as many on the east side of our street as on the west side and even a few blocks away there are very few. It’s worse for us this time than last. The neighbors tree has so many at the base, that you could shovel them up into a small bucket. They are crawling up anything mostly dark… but even lighter objects, too. They seem to be selective where they choose to sit. Our two evergreen shrubs in front have few, while the small baby evergreen tree only 10 feet away is packed with the bugs on every spare spot. They started popping out a few days ago. So, I think they’ll be other reports coming soon from northern Illinois.
I like Cicadas. We had them here (Eastern MD) in 2004.None reported in Western MD as I remember.
I & my son built cicada powered air planes & got into the local newspapers with photo. I did engine tests (throwing cicadas forward to see if they flew & how hard)first & had kids collecting for me and working as if a science fair was going on. As I remember, females flew down & males flew up when released. So I chose only male engines. I built several 1 engine & two engine planes. Planes were from dollar store balsa cheep.I super glued the engines to the wings! I never got much out of flights. I guess if your but was glued to a board, you would not want to fly either! As I will not be alive next time around in 15 yrs, it might be another to hitch them correctly to fly! It was done with house flys, so why not cicadas.
*** in Bowie MD
I wish cicadas were flooding my front porch! I haven’t seen one yet!
Message by Anna in plainfield — May 30, 2007 @ 8:22 am
As of 5-29 at 12 noon no sightings yet on ten hundred block of Mapleton. Not many in the general area either, but pockets in River Forest.
Wednesday and Thursday will be the big days. The attraction of the moon, big right now, but full as can be on Thursday (5-31)may play a big part, but also may be a coincidence.
What do you think?
Have counted 2 to 3 mud patch holes per sq ft in between bricks on patio. But maybe these are from real big worms.
Is it true that there are no cicadas, annual or otherwise, native to the Pacific Northwest?
Message by Melanie Wilson — May 29, 2007 @ 9:24 am
I live in Huntley, IL and I have not seen one cicada yet!!
I am very sad becasue my daughter is 2.5 years old - the same age I was at my first Cicada year in 1973ish - Does any one know if they will be coming to McHenry Co??
Actually, Lake Michigan is probably cleaner than it used to be. In the past few years the gulls have moved inland. They can probably find more food in parking lots and garbage dumps than by Lake Michigan. I’ve even seen people feeding them in the parking lots. That’s probably why they are more abundant in the neighborhoods this year than 17 years ago.
Texas doesn’t have periodic/17/13 year cicadas, but you do have other species. They should be making their presence heard soon enough if the weather stays hot.
Are cicadas hitting Texas this year? If so, are these the 13-year or 17-year brood? Have never heard them here before. The noise has been truly incessant today, especially (hot, muggy) after recent storm. Have heard for the past two weeks (24/7), please advise your prediction how much longer before noise may cease, and isn’t it unusual to hear 24/7? Thanks.
I wonder why the gulls aren’t haging out by the lake? Maybe the lake is so polluted now, that they have to go inland for food — unfortunately for the cicadas.
The cicadas have been out in my neighborhood for a week now. We have had an enormous number of seagulls coming and eating them. Flocks of sometimes 50 gulls and more come down the street stopping to devour whatever they can. I know there were not this many gulls 17 years ago. Will this increase in the gull population affect the number of cicadas 17 years from now?
That’s a good question. They lay their eggs in the branches of trees. The females have an instrument called a terebra that that they use to dig out a slit in the branch and that’s where they lay their eggs. The eggs hatch and the cicada larvae flop to the ground, and start burrowing. They don’t die from the fall because they have a low terminal velocity — like cats and other small creatures.
The egg laying in the branches is what kills the branches.
You have a great site. I found it very informative.
I have been trying to find out where they lay their eggs? Do they climb trees to eat, then return to the ground to bury their eggs? Or are the eggs left in the trees and the larvae crawl down and into the ground?
I aplogize if you answered this question already. I looked and looked and looked and didn’t see anything about this.
My husband and I were in Lombard a couple of days ago and saw many Cicada holes and a couple of live ones. I am out in Carol Stream and live behind a park and pond with many old tree, but not a single Cicada or even a hole yet from what I have seen. I am starting to doubt if we are going to get them in Carol Stream at all. I hope we do, I have been telling my daughter about it for weeks. Anyone know of an emeregence in Carol Stream or if they even emerge here at all?
Hi everybody,
I am a college student doing research on the 17 year cicada. I am trying to find out if the cicadas are parasitized by anything like pin worms, nematodes, or anything like that. I have collected some nymphs and dissected them to see if I can find any parasites. I have not found anything yet, but I plan to catch some adults as soon as they emerge. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about cicadas and parasites. If you do anything that may be able to help my research please send me an e-mail at kgmoney1@aol.com Thanks to all and have fun with the cicadas.
Message by Kenny Glassman — May 24, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
I live in deerfield Illinois. I was walking around looking for cicada shells (in my yard) to look at in my microscope when I heard a buzzing noise. I looked over and saw a upside down cicada flapping its wings like crazy. I picked it up on a stick and took it over to a tree. Immediately, it started crawling up the tree until I couldn’t see it, so I climbed up myself (I made sure not to step on any other cicadas). Then, I saw it stop at nearly the top of the tree and then started laying its eggs! It was so cool!
We’re aware of cicada in Arizona, but people rarely ask about them or contribute content, so there isn’t much mention on the site. You might disagree, but they aren’t as exciting as periodic cicadas. There is some Arizona info buried on the site, including this link http://bugs.bio.nau.edu/Homoptera/azhomoptera.htm
that lists dozens of species with pictures.
I live west of Phoenix in Arizona in the desert. There is no mention of cicadas here even though we definately have the cicada visits. Annually.
Can you tell me why they don’t mention any in Arizona?
Their verticle burrow holes are very noticeable. Along with their music.
Our trees did suffer quite a bit of damage the last couple of years from them. My brother lost a number of small ones, where ours were larger ones. There are many trees here in the desert(palo verdes) for them.
I do not wish the cicadas any harm, but it you have a tree you would like to save from harm, I found a method that works. At the area where the bark is disturbed and sap is flowing, I use a stick to scrape of as much as possible. I then spray the area with a spray paint. The cicadas or other insects do not return to the spot and the tree is saved.
Thank you!
Message by Lisa Bilinski — May 23, 2007 @ 12:09 am
I’ve never heard of them damaging conifers, but if they’re desperate enough, they might.
It’s safe to mow. The emergence in Michigan should be minimal.
i live in the corner of southwest michigan, but have been out of state for a week. when i go home, the lawn is going to need tending- is it safe for me to mow? will i disturb 17 year cicadas beneath my lawn? will i harm them or start a swarm? when is it safest to mow?
Cicadas drink tree fluids, and they do metamorphize. The final stage (instar) of their metamorphosis is called imagination, which is when the nymph becomes the adult (imago).
Hello Kristina,
I have a decent sound byte you can use of a Magicicada cassini. I also have cicadas chorusing but don’t have good recordings of the other 2 species. e-mail me @ sbpstudios@gmail.com.
The key words in that text are “serious noise”. There will still be cicada sound after the choruses start to decline, perhaps still loud by many standards. It will be more like a month (after things first get loud) before things seem normal again. Those words are only a rough estimate.
It really depends on where you are too, in part because the chorusing centers tend to slowly shift location. If you get stuck with a really dense Magicicada cassini chorus in your backyard, in a tree right outside your favorite window, it will be longer than average before things seem quiet again.
Message by David Marshall — May 14, 2007 @ 8:45 am
I’ve seen one specific reference about how long the cicada Brood XIII noise will last only 2 weeks (even though the cicadas may be around for longer than that). Can someone confirm? I’d like to know if the noise lasts longer or shorter so I can make travel plans, because the noise will drive me nuts after the novelty of it wears off.
“How long will the cicadas be out in my yard/neighborhood/city?
About 4-6 weeks after they first start emerging. Most individual cicadas live only a few weeks, but since they emerge over a period of two weeks or so the whole event lasts longer. The serious noise will get going about a week and half after you first notice them and will last about two weeks more. After that things get a lot quieter.”
are you supposed to paint the exterior of your home during the cicadas? Will they spoil the paint job by attaching to the house? I would so appreciate an answer to this question!
I was thinking of having my yard aerated this year, but since this is the year for cicada’s in my area, I wonder if I still need to. Will they do a good job of aerating the soil or should I hire someone to do this for me? Will this damage them if I do decide to aerate?
Message by Beth in Chicago — April 25, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
My 10-year-old daughter has chosen the periodic cicadas as her school project subject. What she plans to do is attempt to calculate the number of cicadas that will emerge in our town. I am helping her with her math model, but she/we need a little help.
She needs to find the average number of cicadas that live under a single tree and a single bush. Also, the survival rates during the 17-year dormancy.
Any information source for this would be greatly appreciated.
Message by scott johnson — April 24, 2007 @ 12:16 pm
Sir,
We intend to visit Chicago during June 2007. Please let us know whether we can joy our stay there? Whither Cicadas affect our stay & feel discomfort?
r.srinivasaraaghavan
It’s 2 months away…we’re about to be hit in June with the 17 year breed here in the Chicago area. I plan to take many pictures and post them on www.seventeenyearcicada.com
This will be the third time I can remember seeing these creatures (I was four years old the first time and can’t recall
So stay tuned.
March 25, 2007
I am in Fayetteville, NC and last night the buzz/chirping started across the lake. I’m walking over today to see if I can spot some cicadas.
I want to know what sounds a cicada makes. And do they make sounds 24 hours a day? How long will they make the sounds? I live in Georgia and I keep hearing the high pitch sounds.
Message by Larry Gunnels — October 26, 2006 @ 8:06 pm
Message by Montanhez — October 12, 2006 @ 10:23 pm
im a biology student that was seeking for Quesada gigas pictures and then found this place! it´s looks really nice…congratulations
and….there´s any brasilian on this forum?
Message by Montanhez — October 12, 2006 @ 10:21 pm
With these things it’s really the luck of the draw — they might be a no show, or they could make things miserable. It might pay to ask the owners of the property what happened 17 years earlier.
The wedding ceremony only will be in Willowbrook, IL, southwest of Chicago about 25 miles in our backyard which has trees and shrubs (but house and yard about 6 years old) and surrounded by property that has lots of trees and undisturbed (undeveloped) land. Based on reading the Wedding Planner which I found after posting my question, sounds like you need a sense of humor if you don’t reschedule. Seems it would be very distracting and take away the focus from the ceremony.
i didnt know what what outside but it was huge and then we caught it with its prey and there both still alive the the cicada is paralized, my daughter wants to bring it to school to show her science teacher and my question is how can i keep them alive and when with the cicada become un paralized?
thank you
angie
lake charles,louisiana
We were having breakfast this morning on our screen porch and a large, strange bug was sitting on the outside of the screen. I suspected a cicada and a quick web search led me to this site. Sure enough, it’s a magicicada!
The kids and I enjoyed learning about cicada habits, although we’re curious about this particular cicada because it’s so late in the summer and we aren’t due for our cicada cycle until next year (we’re in Hartford, WI). We’ve decided that this one must be a scout.
Message by The Ohm Family — August 26, 2006 @ 8:38 am
I wonder, if I can find frequency distribution of cicada songs.
Thanks for any hints.
I am an insect collector and recently obtained two male cicadas of the same species in Las Vegas. Based on my extensive travels throughout southern Nevada and the Las Vegas area, it literally sounds as if there is only one local cicada species in the area-I only hear one that sounds like a constant buzz saw and no other “songs” of distinctive species. Can anyone out there list the prevalent cicada-genus and species-of the Las Vegas area?
I absolutely love the sound of cicadas. I still do, though I’m watching a very creepy “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni” (When the Cicadas Cry). It’s a Japanese horror anime with a deceptively cutesy art style, and cicadas are prominant in the closing credits. The distinctive sounds appear in the soundtrack and now we get a delicious little shiver when evening falls and the cicadas begin their symphony.
okay so I KNOW these insects are called cicadas, and I love them dearly - my mother tells me she could hear them singing when I was born (july 25), so for me, hearing them is something akin to the primal scream….
But WHY did we call them “locusts” in Cleveland where I grew up? I don’t think I learned to call them cicadas until I moved to NJ in 10970.
second question: my own personal rule of thumb, based on observation, is that cicadas don’t “sing” unless the temperature outside is 70 F or above - is that true?
Kathy Harsany
cicada (and katydid) fan
Greenwich, CT
Message by kathy harsany — August 22, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
Hi there
i have a diana maple it one year old,two weeks ago the leaves were brown and wilted they were flexable now their crispy and falling.I was told that there could be a fungus.Could there be a fungus,the tree is kept watered.
I’m so happy to find a site dedicated to this creature! Living in New York City, the cicada has become the sound of summer (along with ice cream truck bells and the drone of air-conditioners.) However, this summer, I’m sad to say, the sound has been absent. Is this part of the 17-year cycle? I can’t remember a summer without the sound of the cicadas each morning and evening. On the hottest days they could even be heard during midday. I’ve lived in NYC 39 years and I’m hoping that no environmental factors have led to their elimination from this area. Please advise.
Message by Joseph Scrivani — August 9, 2006 @ 6:49 am
We live in upstate New York, just east of Albany. On returning from a seaside vacation the end of July, we noticed a very loud insect sound at dusk, continuing through the wee hours. We have not heard this before, and it is keeping us up all night. My husband thought it might be locusts, so I searched the web and now we think we have them. He said he found a dead one in our yard. Can anyone tell us how long to expect this racket? It is very disruptive. We are new to this.
I found a cicada grub in it’s last instar (I think), where it’s emerged from hte ground as a bronze kind of pupae on legs. It was lost groping around aimlessly on the pavement in the baking sun.
I thought it should be moved into the foliage where it could take to a leaf….so I did just that, but I noticed it had white eyes unlike any others I’d seen (usually having brown or black eyes.
It also seemed very weak. Is it unusual for cicadas in this stage of development, to have white eyes? If so why?
Does anyone have any tips for preserving cicadas? I find our local Tibicens rather attractive and would like to “shellac” one. (An already dead one; I’d never kill one! It’s not at all hard to find corpses once summer gets into full swing here in VA.) Do you think I could just use clear-coat enamel, or would that damage the wings?
My girlfriend is from England, and had never had any experience with cicadas, she calls them “screaming bugs”. We are here in missouri, and I never knew that there was a 17 year cycle. Thanks for the site, and info.
There are many different types of Cicadas in the United States. At least 150 different species. Other names that can also mean “cicada” that people say are as follows:
Locust
Dog Day Cicada
Harvest fly
Heat Bug
And even some species of cicadas can have their own nick-names. For instance:
Tibicen chloromera - “The Swamp Cicada”
Tibicen auletes - “The Scissor Grinder”
Tibicen lyricen - “The lyric Cicada”
Magicicada - “17 year locusts”
I have been asked by my teacher at school to find out another name for cicada. What are cicadas also known as?
Message by Connor James — June 21, 2006 @ 10:40 pm
Hi Dan, Looks as though some useless spam did get through with mesage 66!! To Debbie (67), cicadas do not bite, they suck sap through a “rostrum” (straw) like mozzies. They are quite magnificently constructed and coloured with each species having a distinct song- not too ugly once you get to know them!! Just watch one emerging and you’ll be hooked!
Does anyone have information regarding where in Pennsylvania Brood XIV of Magicicada has emerged in the past? I know they’re due back in 2008 and I’d really like to see them. Please email me at BigEdK7@aol.com if you have any information.
Thank you,
Ed
In school we are studing about the rain forest and Im serching for people to help the rain forest from being burnt and cut down. I know this coment probebly dosen’t mean any thing to you, but it means the world to me. One forth of our rain forest are gone, and they say all the medicans in the world are in the rain forset so we are destorying medicans that we need. Now I bet you don’t care, but seens you like insects I decided to write this letter to you. Thank you for reading it.
Starting a new site, dedicated to the cause. Here in the Chicago area we will be seeing our little friends next June, 2007 and will be putting up images and videos. Until then, the website www.seventeenyearcicada.com
will be up and running.
Cicadas seem to be pretty rare here in Nova Scotia. I’m looking for a source of cicada “remains” which are intact and in good condition. I am hoping to find 10-20 at least. This is for an arts project.
Only Cicadas who have “ceased to bee” please!
I would have to say they were disturbed under the the trash box. I would think it would be very very unusual to see them this early. you are right, you probibly would not see any until at least late june-july
I live in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and we are just barely breaking into spring (snow last weekend, this week 20 degrees C in the day, nights around 0). No leaves on trees yet, and grass just barely poking out of the ground.
Today we found about 3 or 4 adult cicadas scattered in the parking lot — most of them squished, but one still feebly moving its legs. I’m assuming they are adults: about 1 1/2 inches long, a dark drab brown, almost looking a bit moldy. There was signs of a large trash box moved in the area, so perhaps they were under it, and were disturbed.
We usually only get cicadas in the hot part of July & August… any ideas what might be going on here?
You must be suffering the Amphipsalta zealandica chorus in Feb. someone from Auckland complained on this site last year about thier niose. On hot nights, cicadas can sing at intervals during the night, which drives you crazy. The Aussie greengrocers will sing at about 4hour intervals (dusk, 10pm, 2am and 6am) just in case you want to listen. By the way, many cicadas are attracted to UV lights, especially on warm humid nights.
btw Im in NZ and that would be understood not understoof sorry!! Im used to cicadas but not this many and they have never done this before, I cant find much info on this kinda thing, there are hundreds of them and driving me crazy at times like 3am :/
Okay so I understoof that cicadas were not attracted to light? however tonight the first night of the couple of weeks they have been around this year they started attacking the windows and they were all over my deck its midnight here and I dont understand whats going on Ive never seen anything like it before, is this normal?
Hi Marty,
The “green grocer” in Australia sings when the temp reaches around 18C, but many small species will not sing unless the sun is shining (no matter what the ambient temp).
David.
You can tell by looking at their abdomens. The females abdomen ends with a sharp point, like a sharpened pencil. The male is more stubby, like the top of a house.
To Julianna,
Messages 48-50. Cicadas suck sap from trees and grasses during development underground and after emergence. They, in turn are “eaten” by higher predators , especially spiders, tree crickets and birds, as well as preyed upon by wasps (”cicada-killer” wasp)and cicada collecting humans, dogs and cats. The shell “exuviae” simply degenerates and gets recycled after emergence, becomes a spider’s temporary home, or gets collected and ground up for some traditional (especially Chinese) medicines.
Underground, cicada nymphs can be attacked by “entomophagic” (insect eating) fungus that kills the cicadas at some stage, but life above ground is pretty short and infection-free. Prolonged rain may promote bacterial disease.
I live in Northern Virginia, and I’ve seen a few dead cicadas on the ground these past few weeks. They are black like the 17-year cicadas that we had last year, but they have white/greenish eyes. I’ve been hearing them singing in the trees all summer, but I thought they were the regular cicadas that we have every summer. Those are green though, aren’t they? These ones are black, and they look almost the same as the ones we had last year, only they don’t have red eyes. Are they regular annual cicadas or some special brood? Could they be Brood X and have emerged this year instead of last year? But why don’t they have red eyes, then?
Hello,I am collecting cicada bodies and would gladly pay for shipping them if you have any. The area I am living in (Haverford, PA) does not have many this year. Please write and let me know. Thank you.
Anne
[Moderator: those are Tibicen, which are an annual species of cicada. Thanks too the massive emergence of Magicicadas, people have become “cicada aware”, and a now, finally noticing the annual species.]
Fred,
For a great photo of Tibicen dorsata (Grand western cicada) and some locations, get Boris Kondratieff’s book “Cicadas of Colorado” CSU Press- it’s great.
What is the ‘Grand Western Cicada? Looking through various websites, I have seen three different ‘grand western cicadas’ One series of photos clearly shows tibicen auletes, definately NOT the GW. Next series of photos from mid, upper western states, like Illinois, Iowa, etc, show a brightly yellow-marked black tibicen-type cicada. And another set, including the one on this site, shows a very un-tibicen like cicada, with a huge, oversized thorax, and a funny, undersized, narrow head. So just who/what/where is the “GRAND WESTERN CICADA, TIBICEN DORSATA?”
Fred
I have so many cicada in my trees that the trees are now getting rot and are dying. is there anyway i can save my 8 trees with out killing all the cicada? They are a childhood favorite and I wouldnt want to kill them but i just bought my home and the 8 trees have been there forever and id like to keep them too. please help! 2 trees are dead and need to be removed before they fall….please dont let more dye too.
Message by April Nowell — August 23, 2005 @ 8:35 am
Wile on our deck today (August 21, 2005) I spotted and took a picture of this insect that I THINK might be a Tibicen Cicada? I don’t know, I have never seen a Cicada before. Of the pictures I found online, that seemed to be the closest match. Could someone confirm if it is a Cicada, and if so what kind it is? After reading the message here I went back out to take a photo with a newspaper, but it was gone. I have posted 4 pictures on my web site at http://www.softechvt.com/cicada/cicada.htm.
Thanks!
Steve
[Moderator: it’s definitely a Tibicen, and probably a Tibicen pruinosa.]
Can anyone explain to me why I have been seeing cicada on my trees? I live in SC and this is the first time in the 20 years I have lived here that I have noticed these nasty insects. We used to have them in Northern VA about every 7 years but I though by moving down here they wouldn’t be here. I heard a bunch of them in the pine trees last night when I was in my backyard.
My son found a cicada in the driveway today. It has been extremely hot outside so we brought it inside and made a little habitat for it which includes a pine branch, pine straw, dirt, and water on one end. It immediately grabbed ahold of the pine branch where it remains motionless. I prepared him it will likely have a very limited life span. No loud noises yet. Looks like he may mault and I know the kids will enjoy watching.
PS. I operate a municipal ULV insecticide fogging truck and I felt a little guilty leaving it outside. Plus as slow moving as this guy is, he would no doubt ended up as somebodys lunch.
[Moderator: Well, it could be a female — the females don’t make noise.]
Hi my son and I are trying to find out some info on cicada’s in our area. We live in Freehold, NJ and have been hearing them at night for weeks now. Tonight there is one perched on our screen door. From the websites I’ve read it says that there would’nt be any emerging in ‘05, and that they only live for 2 weeks. They’ve definitly been out there more than 2 weeks.Or am I not getting the right info??
Thanks
Donna
[Moderator: in Jersey you have two basic types of cicadas: 1) the annual type, and 2) the periodical type which arrive every 17 years. Right now you’re seeing the annual type, which belong to the Genus Tibicen]
The Cicadas are here in the Upstate of South Carolina. I live in a little town southwest of Greenville SC called Honea Path. We have Oak and Chesnut Trees and the are singing wonderfully all day like I used to hear them in Southern France.
Now here I need an expert for answers? I heard the same noise last year. Not quite as prominent then this year but still I could hear them well every day.
This year I have been looking around and found some dead Magicicadas.
I am a little lost about this 17 year cicle. How could I have heard some last year and this year.
Are they other types of cicadas that live every year and make a similar noise?
Also as I go about enjoying these wonderful creatures of nature I hear being closer some high pitch singing less loud and frequent?
I would be thankful if anybody can give me more information. Suggestions of site with information and an excellent book about cicadas.
I feel in heaven, romantic and this wonderful noise while reading a book under a tree is an awesome feeling.
Edmond Schafeitel
Honea Path SC
Message by Edmond Schafeitel — August 14, 2005 @ 8:38 am
Message by Edmond Schafeitel — August 14, 2005 @ 8:53 am
Yesterday I was at a picnic with my family and spotted what seemed to be a large dragonfly buried in the grass dead. So I kind of kicked at it and it started buzzing. Come to find out it was two cicadas apparently mating. Since my daughter was with me and she likes to collect bugs of all sorts, we put it in a container with leaves and twigs and a catipillar that she had found earlier. How rare is it to find them in the grass like that? Port Huron, MI
Message by Todd Taylor — August 14, 2005 @ 7:53 am
[Moderator: that’s a Tibicen, not a Magicicada, but go on…]
For the last few nights I have had the opportunity to observe the behavior of the Magicicada in my back yard. I live in Marlboro, NJ and this year the air is filled with the sound of the percing buzzing calls of the male cicada and the approving clicks of the females.
I have been painting an official size NBA basketball half court on my driveway. My family is anxious for me to finish so I have been painting into the night with two flood lights. The first night I stayed out late painting (till 2:30 AM) I immediately became aware that this was not going to be a normal night in Marlboro. As night fell, the intensity of the buzzing calls increased and the cicada began gathering in the tree above me (a towering 150 year old red maple tree). As I painted, I noticed that fresh leaves from the tree where slowly raining down around me often accompanied by what appeared to be shoots of dead grass, with their tiny dry rootlets attached. The grass appeared to have been coated with a sticky substance and teased so that the roots and leaves looked like they had been curled.
The leaves also appeared to have been altered. Sections of the leaf to the right and left of the mid-line had been removed in a roughly symetrical pattern, often punctuated by holes on either side. The substance coating the leaves had an acrid musky unpleasant smell (at least to me). It also seamed to be tuning the fresh green leaves a yellow to orange to brown color.
As I continued to paint, the cicadas in the tree above me seemed to be agrivated by my presence. They continued to gather above and the raining down of leaves increased, some landing on me directly. When ever I repositioned the flood lights their calls rose in intensity.
Finally, a particularly large cicada flew down out of the tree and aimed itself directly at my head causing me to duck to avoid a collision. I quickly set the light down and darted away from the spot light, and into the dark shadows of my yard, to avoid a second aireal assault by the cicada. The giant insect touched down directly in the spotlight created by the lamp and took up position as close to the light as possible, It was then that I noticed the bright red glowing eyes of this cicada as it peered into the light and beyond it into the night. I quickly learned the rules of this relationship. Don’t touch the light and don’t block the light. If you do, the arial assaults resume. I finally reached an uneasy peace with the cicada. I could slowly move the light, without prompting aggressive behavior from the cicada, if I made sure to keep the insect in the most prominent position under the spotlight.
All kidding aside, the events I recorded here did happen to me in the middle of the night when I entered the cicada’s space under that old tree. On the succeding three nights it took me to finish the basketball court I encountered the same behavior. I feel I have a deeper understanding of these cicada behaviors now although it contradicts the official excepted version of their behavior.
Has anyone out there had a similar experience with cicadas in their area or witnessed any other unusual behaviors by cicadas? If so I’d love to read about them.
Message by Daniel Ross — August 13, 2005 @ 11:35 pm
Here in Albion my brother and I found a cicada under our outdore table umbrella we don’t know why it was there.We had it in a container but we let it go at night when we were done looking at it it was kewl but we were scared to hold it so we looked up on this website if they bite. And it told us they dont but we did’nt want to take a chance of it laying eggs in us so we decided to show our mom and when we did she freaked out so then we showed our step father and he yelled at us for having it so then like I said we let it free and it didn’t fly cuz it was too cold out and it was raining so then we decided to put it back on our umbrella so it didn’t get wet so it could fly away the next morning and we didnt take it abdomin off like dum rejected people do just for their entertainment. have a nice day c ya bye.
will there be any more big emergences of magicicada near the baltimore area anytime soon? I’m not expecting any news making hatchings near my home but i would like to drive to a close by place with a fairly large brood brood x was huge in martinsberg wv last year for example.
Message by Vince Matson — August 10, 2005 @ 8:58 pm
hi, i am just curious if what i’ve been seeing on my tree in my yard are cicadas!!! I have found several body casingswhich are brown in color and from the middle of the back of the head to the middle of their back or open with embelicalcords or some kind of feeding line inside I saved four that I found because I found them very interesting and was determined to find out what the
Hi Elias — Pinnaquid — so you do know the area! I’m on Winside and Winside was covered with those cicadas from where Winside begins by Wedgewood all the way down to the end of Winside. It was strange that they weren’t all over Coram. Port Jefferson also reported one street that had them. Other than that, I hadn’t heard of any other close by areas like Selden or Medford having any. Cathy
Message by Cathy — July 4, 2008 @ 7:52 pm
Hello Cathy,
Thanks for writing back. I was also in Newsday regarding the cicadas. The article regarding Coram came out a few days later! I made a trip to your town but did not see the massive numbers reported. Also only a few blocks had some decent chorusing. It was strange how patchy the emergence was. One block would have nothing and another block would be covered! I was on the legendary Pinnaquid road for a while. It sounds like they have survived by you and we should see them again in 2025! Take care
Elias
Message by Elias — July 4, 2008 @ 5:50 am
Hi Elias — The cicadas were in my town of Coram. We made the pages of Newsday as my street was covered with them.
Message by Cathy — July 2, 2008 @ 7:25 pm
Here’s an update (Yes we do have a life, but this is the highlight of my daughter’s life right now!):
Our cicada nymph is balanced on just it’s two front legs that look like claws. All four of the longer legs are sticking straight out. Is it dead? Is it molting? Is is contemplating its future? How long do you think it will be before we know the answers to these burning questions? Daughter and I got to watch a cicada molt last Summer whilst it was stuck to a tree, so I know that the process of molting is a long, long, one. Just curious to know, if it is dead, when to know for sure so I can dispose of it properly. Thanks!! Great website, BTW!!!
Vicki
Message by Vicki — July 1, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
Thanks for the reply! We have had the little fella in a plastic bug house that has screen on the two long sides. He’s been hanging out on about a 4″ piece of tree bark that we placed in there too. He’s moving around here and there, not too much. Unfortunately, it appears that he has an injured or deformed back RT “leg” (don’t know cicada nymph anatomy) b/c it is staying bent and moving very little while he moves the other legs freely. He occasionally falls over on his back, in the direction of the bent leg. Thoughts??
Message by Vicki — July 1, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
Vicki — keep it in warm place, but not in direct sunlight. A good idea is to put some netting around a branch (so birds can’t get it) and place it in there. If you can’t do that, place a branch in the cage for it to climb.
Message by Dan — July 1, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
Vicki again… did more poking around on your website and learned that it was the nymph that we discovered, not the larva. It appears to be getting ready to molt.
Anyway, same question applies: Anything we can do to facilitate the molting process?
Thanks!
Message by Vicki — July 1, 2008 @ 9:40 am
My daughter and I found a cicada still in its shell (is that a larva?)and brought it home to watch it move around, presumably getting ready to “hatch.” We placed in daughter’s well ventilated bug house and sat it on a piece of bark for it to stick to. Anything we can do to ease its transition into adulthood? It keeps falling upside down off the bark we placed in there for it, and daughter goes in and rights it.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Message by Vicki — July 1, 2008 @ 9:28 am
I found what I believe is a Cicada. I let it crawl around my hands my orange cat found it but wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was bright green wings and more tan body than dark like most of the pictures on the web. I placed it in the bushes for safety and turn my head for a second. My new kitten came from nowhere and eat its wings but didn’t kill it. I put it in a wood pile for safety. will the wings grow back or is it doomed?
Message by Greg — June 30, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
Hello Cathy,
What town did you observe the cicadas in? (Long Island)
Elias
Message by Elias — June 27, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
I was outside of Big Bear California this past weekend and we saw (and heard) many cicadas flying around (one guy who didn’t know what they were named them orange lined bird bugs). One landed on me and began to walk around a bit while a friend took photos. After a few moments of walking around, I saw the mouth part come down and I felt a mild twinge of pain. But cicadas don’t bite! Well, I took some time to research more (which led me here) and I found a site that says “Basically, periodical cicadas can hurt you only if they mistake you for a tree branch and try to feed, something that can happen only if you hold a cicada in your hand for a very long time (eventually this makes the cicada hot and thirsty). Such rare mistakes feel like a brief pinprick and cause no damage.” I have to say that this guy was not on my hand for a very long time. Obviously I’m fine. We found the insect again after my involuntary hand flick of surprise and saw that the abdomen was gaping open in two place an we could see inside. Perhaps from a bird? Anyway, the point of all this is, here is a photo of a cicada trying to tap into human skin, taken an instant before I shook it off. http://www.xterrawolf.com/images/driversed/driving02.jpg
Message by Vantid — June 26, 2008 @ 7:43 pm
I would keep an eye on them. Even though they seem to have taken a beating, I’d bet they will bounce back. I have seen some small trees really badly damaged last June, but seems they came back this spring.
Not much you can do about them though. Hope for the best. Check my website seventeenyearcicada.com for some images of trees that took the hit.
Message by John — June 25, 2008 @ 9:48 pm
I figured that the cicadas would instinctively avoid killing trees, but that didn’t happen in my case. If there was ever a situation where Cicadas have infested anything, it’s right here at my house. Five of my trees were nearly completely shredded by the females. All of my these were maple trees. My cherry, apple, and pear trees will probably survive with only damage to the top third of the trees. One of my dogwood trees also took a beating.
Message by Leslie — June 25, 2008 @ 4:18 am
The cicadas don’t generally kill trees…you should understand they lay eggs so that the next brood will survive, and a dead tree won’t help their cause. Somehow, they KNOW this and control their egg laying to minimize tree limb damage. By next season, the trees will have recovered just fine. They will last maybe four or five weeks and then be gone completely. Just enjoy them…they don’t bite and don’t do anything except make noise and mate.
Message by John — June 24, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
I planted a regular cherry tree and a weeping cherry tree the last week of April. The cicadas came around May 18. I couldn’t figure out why the regular cherry tree hasn’t bloomed somewhat — just a couple of brown leaves on top. The weeping cherry was doing good until I noticed a few days ago that all of its leaves were turning brown along with the old trees near it. I snipped the branches of the regular cherry tree to see if there was any life in them but there’s not. Should I get rid of it or wait it out? If the weeping cherry was doing good until now, is it still worth holding onto?
Message by Cathy — June 21, 2008 @ 7:42 am
The female cicadas have killed the tops of all of my small trees. My trees have hundreds of half-inch rips in the branches where they deposited their eggs. The tops have all turned brown and broken off. I had about 10 5 to 8 foot trees. Now they are about 3 to 5 feet tall. I know it’s too late now, but what could I have done to prevent this? I occasionally walked around and shook the cicadas off the trees, but I couldn’t do that all the time.
Message by Leslie — June 20, 2008 @ 4:45 am
I came home yesterday to quiet. Not a single cicada was flying. It’s been exactly one month since the invasion hit my block here on Long Island, New York. Now I just have the clean up — wings, shells, and dead cicadas. I can say without a doubt — I SURVIVED A CIRCADA INVASION!
Message by Cathy — June 18, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
How can i keep them from flying on me? Wgat do they avoid…try to stay away from?
Message by DB — June 10, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
I think the cicadas are awesome to listen to. I am fearful however of them getting on me. Do they bite? I can rest easier if I know that they do not bite.
Message by christy — June 9, 2008 @ 10:45 am
We live in Central PA around Huntingdon, we have so many cicada’s that my daughter and I can not go outside because of the loud high-pitch sounds they are making. How long will they continue their singing? I loved to sit outside to hear all the beautiful birds chirping, but can’t hear them because of the loud noise of these cicada’s. We drown out the sound of the cicada’s with our air conditioner. P.S. My husband doesn’t mind the sound!
Message by Donna Brubaker — June 8, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
Deb — I’ve called 6 exterminating places. They all said there was nothing they could do. One said you needed a special license and I should call a lawn care place. I called 2 of them. I got the same response — there’s nothing they can do that will control or eliminate them. I’ve sprayed the ones on my front porch with bug spray (which does work) just so I can get out the door.
Message by Cathy — June 7, 2008 @ 7:54 pm
My pool is surrounded on 3 sides by woods — which are INFESTED with these brood 14 noise-makers! I can hardly keep up with keeping the pool filters clear — is there any way to get rid of them (e.g., spray, noise, etc.)? I can’t imagine dealing with these for another 3-4 weeks….
Message by Deb Hileman — June 7, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
My husband was at our local hardware store, and heard it mentioned that cicadas eat gypsy moth catapillars. Of course the adult cicada doesn’t, but I was wondering if the juveniles eat them. Is there any truth to this at all? I live in Bellefonte, PA and the gypsy moth catapillars were descending upon/munching on our trees about 3 weeks before a VERY LARGE brood of cicadas emerged. I know the emergence of the brood isn’t related to the gypsy moth. Any info is greatly appreciated!
Message by Leslie — June 7, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
From my understanding, cicadas make holes in branches to lay their eggs. I have cicadas that have moved onto the posts around my above ground swimming pool. Are they or will they make holes in the metal of the posts and destroy my swimming pool?
Message by Cathy — June 7, 2008 @ 7:45 am
Diane — depending on how hot and dry it is, it should take 3 to 7 days for the males to sing.
Message by Dan — June 3, 2008 @ 9:08 am
They arrived here in my backyard on Long Island (Suffolk County) about a week ago. My dog was bringing them in — about one a day. I decided to look around and see what he was eating and where he was getting them from. There were hundreds on my fence, in the trees, in the grass. I called five exterminating companies but they said there was nothing that could be done — just wait it out. I can understand the fascination with them but they’re still disgusting when there’s so many of them in one place!
Message by Cathy — June 1, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Diane — they should be chorusing in a week.
Tina — the chorusing should end within 3 to 4 weeks.
Josh — maybe not 17 year cicadas, but there are many annual cicadas emerging in Georgia.
Scared-y-cat — they should be emerging now (5/18).
Mary — the cicadas are definitely less noisy in the evening, but they will continue to make noise if there’s a light source.
Message by Dan — May 18, 2008 @ 6:42 am
When will they go away. The noise at my house is killing my ears and head. I seem to be the only one in my family affected by the sound. My kids love to find and carry them around. I don’t mind them, but the noise is awful.
Message by Tina — May 17, 2008 @ 11:05 am
The Cicadas have arrived in our trees. We are 30 miles northwest of Nashville, TN. They seem to like our sycamore trees. So far, they are drying out. No noise yet. It looks like a pretty good crop of them. Does anyone know how long it takes from coming out of their shell to singing their “songs”?
Message by Diane — May 16, 2008 @ 4:03 pm
I just moved from the west coast to Statham, GA (a small town between Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, It didn’t look like from the map that the cicadas would reach this far south, will I see any cicadas this summer?
Message by Josh — May 16, 2008 @ 7:37 am
Does anyone know if this brood is to invade Nashville, TN. I can’t tell, from the map. Thanks.
Message by scared-y-cat — May 7, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
We’re planning a graduation for my niece and would like to know if cicadas are less active in the evening - especially Brood XIV - which are already emerging at my sister’s house in Loveland OH.
Message by Mary — May 7, 2008 @ 7:42 am
Tim,
I know the American species usually last 4 to 6 weeks. Rain won’t kill them, but it will silence them. And Australia doesn’t have 17 year cicadas — you’re just having a particularly hearty crop this year.
Message by Dan — December 3, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
hi,
cicadas have invaded all of our gum trees on our property, it started about 5 days ago they just started up it’s strange because we have never had them before, The sound is horrific and they only stop at night then start up again about 9 am.
I live in Victoria, Australia in the north east and was wondering when will these things die ?
Does rain kill them ?
Am i experiencing a 17 yr cycle thing ?
thank you for your time
Message by tim — December 3, 2007 @ 1:11 am
Hi.
I really new to the realm of cicadas and am really here just to ask a single question (though I have had fun perusing piccies).
I’m in Adelaide, South Australia, to the south of the Adelaide Plain, at the base of the foothills of the Adelaide Hills. For the first time in my memory, this year, we have had an abundance of cicadas of one particular type in the area. Calling from the tree tops in suburbia are these loud single click calls. And there are plenty of them. We’ve even seen a few flying around. The clicks occur all day during warm weather, but increase at dusk during those lovely warm summery evenings we get here.
I tend to associate the sound with coastal sand dunes and tend to think that this is where I’ve heard them before…just never near my house. (I live approximately 3 to 4 miles from the beach).
Now I can give you a pretty lousy description from a chance sighting one afternoon. The cicada we saw was black with orange or red eyes and an orange stripe on its abdomen. Sorry for the vagueness, but it was a chance sighting. If I had anything between my ears I would have grabbed the camera, because the identity of these insects have been bugging me ever since.
Now I’m hoping that someone can poke me in the right direction to identifying this cicada. As far as I can see online, there are very few cicadas in South Australia compared to the other states (Queensland seems to be a noisy place cicada-wise) so I’m hoping the search can be fairly narrow (in a huge family such as this one).
Any help greatly appreciated.
Best wishes,
Gumnut
(determined to discover that bug’s identity)
Message by Gumnut — November 24, 2007 @ 6:29 pm
Sure it is okay for your kid to keep a cicada as a pet, though it won’t last long in captivity.
Message by Dan — November 21, 2007 @ 6:02 am
Is it ok for my mature 12 year old daughter to have a cicada as a pet?
Message by BJ — November 21, 2007 @ 1:31 am
Cicadas and Moonlight–
I too am an observer. Tell me if anyone else noticed that the Cicadas gravitate toward the moonlight when they come out of the ground for their first walk on the surface. The moment they emered from the ground, there was a uniformity, almost like soldiers, when the walked up our hill. The cicadas found on the trees and telephone poles were on the moomlit side…always. Anyone notice this as a pattern?
Message by lynn — October 12, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
Lauren: red this FAQ http://www.cicadamania.com/faq.html#a15
Message by Dan — September 5, 2007 @ 5:17 am
NYC has killed so many insects spraying for “west nile”!
It’s a total scam!
Message by Billy — September 4, 2007 @ 11:42 am
Today I noticed that this is the first year I have not heard one cicada… and I strongly believe that NYC has killed them & alot of other vital insects necessary to our eco system… how can we stop this destructive spraying which is mainly to make money!
Message by Billy — September 4, 2007 @ 11:41 am
My daughter would like to know how the cacada make it’s noise. Thanks
Message by Lauren — September 4, 2007 @ 8:08 am
andyru712: yes, it’s called the New Forest cicada. http://www.ukbap.org.uk/ukplans.aspx?ID=216
Message by Dan — September 3, 2007 @ 8:13 am
please can anyone tell me if england has cicada. i am having trouble finding any info!
Message by andyru712 — September 3, 2007 @ 6:29 am
Travel Search Engines
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
Trackback by Travel Search Engines — August 31, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
Some co-workers and I have been marvelling at the buzzing of the cicadas in the small forested area outside of our workplace. We hadn’t actually seen one until the other day when one appeared on the outside of the building. It did not move however and stayed there for three days. I figured it probably died so i nudged it gently with a stick. It fell to the ground where I gave it another poke and it moved its leg. Okay, so it is not dead but probably dying. A day later it was back on the wall. It had traveled about two feet on the ground and three feet up the building. What is it doing? Is it going into some sort of hibernation? For reference it is late August in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thanks
Message by Ben — August 20, 2007 @ 11:23 am
I am noticing a steady decline in the amount of cicada calls I hear daily. Recently they did aerial spraying of pesticides to kill the mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus. Is it possible that the pesticide is killing the cicadas, or is it normal for them to start dying off in August?
I live in Sacramento, California. Our cicadas seem to be Okanagana-something(rimosa?).
Message by Phoebe — August 19, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
our litte buddies are gonme
what an incredible natural event….what a ethereal sound and so harmless…..I will miss them until next time…
Message by Bill — August 16, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
The Cicadas have invaded NJ early according to the charts. These past few weeks we’ve noticed them and also holes in our yard (which we didn’t realize were from them-we thought they might have been moles or the like.) We’ve had enough problems trying to grow grass lately, and now we have these holes…what a mess! We had trees removed last year and I guess they’re feeding on the roots that are left.Looks like we’ll be having a project in the spring fixing up the damage. My dog & I have already hurt ourselves in the ruts. Glad they won’t be around for much longer.
Message by Carmel — August 15, 2007 @ 8:09 am
Debbie — no they won’t hurt your house plants — cicadas like trees.
Message by Dan — August 15, 2007 @ 5:02 am
A cicada landed on my leg on my back porch. I caught it and brought it inside to be able to show my grandkids, but it got away. Will it hurt my house plants? Will it lay eggs in them? I can’t find it anywhere.
Thank you, if you reply. I’ve been searching for someone who may be able to tell me.
Sincerely,
Debbie Nickerson
Message by Debbie Nickerson — August 14, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
Hello, first I’d like to say, I never knew so many people liked Cicada’s. My question is this:
“Are there any rumors or legends about Cicadas?”
In times could they be seen as a bad omen? a good omen?
Message by Nymph — August 8, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
Why hasen’t the editor of this site seen fit to post the news article (submitted & received by editor)that included a photo of the Cicada powered airplane my son & I built & tested?
Also, you might want to read an Internet site on Grasshopper Glacier in Montana & the giant gresshoppers that are found frozen into it!
Dick
Message by Dick Bolt — August 2, 2007 @ 9:21 am
Hey Scott,
The photo on the front page are individual eggs taken from a small eggnest in an ash tree branch. Apparently cicada eggs get moisture from the live branches because these took about a week to dry up after being removed.
Thanks,
Roy
Message by Roy troutman — July 28, 2007 @ 5:18 am
Are the eggs in the photo shown on your website indivdiaul egges, or is each one a sac/cluster of eggs?
Thanks for a great website!
Message by Scott Williams — July 24, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Hey…i have one of these little gems …i have the shell…and the bug…I live in Ontario Canada….Hamilton…
I am 45 years old…and have never seen one…im thrilled to finaly see what all the fuss is about!!
Message by Nancy — July 21, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
Cicada Mania: I just wanted to say thanks and ask you one question is the magicicadas the cicadas that only come to north america?
- Thanks in advance,
Courtney.
Message by Courtney — July 16, 2007 @ 10:31 am
Alex:
You found a magicicada over there? I could hear but not see any and didn’t find any exit holes; nothing. Just heard the singing, re-re-re-re-re-reeeeeee.
I live not too far from there and we have had the same type for about a week or two now. I’m enjoying the singing! =O)
Message by Caerann — July 13, 2007 @ 9:46 am
Hey John,
What you ae seeing is the damage done by cicada females that have laid their eggs into each branch. They use a sharp needle like appendage called an ovipositor that will cut into a twig & deposit eggs. The act of piercing a branch will weaken the structure & sometimes stop the flow of sap causing broken branches & browned leaves.
Hope this helps, Roy T.
Message by Roy Troutman — July 10, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
All the trees in our area, and we are next to a forest preserve, have large tips turned brown and are dead. The large dead branches fall from the trees onto the street and lawns, this especially during the storm of yesterday.
Some say the cicada have sucked the sap from these tips. What, in fact, is causing the tips to die like this?
Message by John Powers — July 10, 2007 @ 8:41 am
Seems like the Kimball/Elston area is a late bloomer, huh. I found a lone one on the sidewalk near Kimball and Montrose today. Scurried up my arm looking for a place to emerge from it’s shell.
Put it in a fish tank with climbing twigs, and just as I finished it’s home the little thing checked out the branches and found one to settle on. It immediately began emerging.
Wow. I spent the last couple of hours watching it’s transformation.
Nature is wonderful. This is what life is about!
Now I must find a safe place with other cicadas so the cycle can continue.
Who still have some in their yard? Want another?
Message by Alex — July 7, 2007 @ 8:59 pm
They are still plentiful and very active in Blue Star Memorial Forest Preserves on Lake Avenue in Glenview as of today, July 3rd. They seem to be a later group than those in Schiller Woods as there are barely any dead bodies in the Glenview preserve. Hurray!!!! Had much fun playing with the little darlings. =0)
Message by Caerann — July 3, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
Is it possible our 17 Year friends are just emerging in the city near Kimball and Elston? I heard but didn’t see some kind of cicadas today, July 2nd in 3 or 4 very tall trees.
Cheerio then.
Message by Caerann — July 2, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
I found a bug on the sidewalk in my backyard this evening, and it caught my attention b/c it looked just like a cicada. I thought they only came out every 17 years, stayed for a while, then died off. He was huge! Bigger than the average bettle and he was just slowly walking around. He seemed to be following the flashlight as we stared at him in aww. He looked very old didn’t appear to have any wings. Is it normal for them to still be around since the last time they were here? And if so, do they loose their wings and just walk around?
Message by Briana — June 29, 2007 @ 9:15 pm
hey i am a student going into 9th grade and i have to find 6 legged bugs and if i get a rare one i will get an A+ and i think they will be around for a lil while longer
Message by randie potter — June 29, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
I’m in Oak lawn and have only spotted a small handful of cicada’s by my house and it was only for one day.We had a storm that was blowing in from the south all day last week on tuesday the 20th and that’s the only time they were here.I took pictures,held them,and was just excited to see them again.I was only 4 years old the first time I experienced them way back in 1973 at Brookfield Zoo and at that time I was horrified of them.Now at 38 I’m fascinated by them but have to travel to other areas to find them.Does anyone know if more will emerge in Oak Lawn before they are gone?
Message by Bob — June 28, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
I was surprized to see an cicada in Lillooet British Columbia this year, I never seen one before but maybe they could have been here all the time…. I would think i would have noticed them before as it was pretty big 26mm long. I have pictures and I will try and post at least one on this site.
Message by Randy James — June 27, 2007 @ 10:43 am
I live in central Oak Park. I walked around the neighborhood on Memorial Day weekend several times in order to determine whether the nymphs were emerging. I saw one newly emerged adult cicada on 25 May on 200 block of N. Kenilworth-and then nothing for a couple of weeks. Now, in the past two weeks, I’ve seen quite a few cicadas-mostly confined to the parks, though-just a few in the neighborhoods. I wonder why the late-emergence here in Oak Park? River Forest and Maywood lie immediately to the west and they’ve had them for some time-now rapidly dying off. I think cicadas are fascinating as bugs go but I can empathize with folks who have to deal with that constant buzzing.
Message by Rick — June 27, 2007 @ 8:44 am
Cathy,
Do a Google Image search “Cicadas Eggs”. There are a bunch of photos.
Message by Lucy — June 26, 2007 @ 8:39 am
Many of the trees near me have brown leaves. I have read it’s because the females have laid eggs in those branches but why would the leaves turn brown? Do the eggs kill the tree branches? I would love to see a picture of the eggs in a branch but can’t seem to find one.
Message by Cathy — June 23, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
Are all of the cicadas out or are there any areas that are still waiting for them to come out?
Message by Peggy — June 20, 2007 @ 3:35 pm
Some of you will be happy. I just came back from the Lagrange woods. As I turned from joliet rd onto Lagrange rd, there was nothing but silence. I drove through the entrance into the woods, and to my surprise, there were only a few pockets in the woods, where the cicadas were still singing. There were many on the ground that were dying. I actually had 1 cicada drop on the hood of my car backwards on his back. I did try to turn him over on his feet so he could fly away, but he could not even stand. But the whole time he was watching me as if to say thanks for trying. Remember,we are ALL Gods creatures.
Message by rob — June 20, 2007 @ 12:37 pm
Jill — Gerry Bunker says “An aggregation of cicadas.”
Message by Dan — June 19, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
I know this group of cicadas are known as Brood XIII, but do groups of cicadas have a name like “gaggle of geese”, “murder of crows”, “pack of dogs”, etc.?
Message by Jill — June 19, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Living in the western suburbs near Lombard, cicada heaven. Work near Elmhurst, more cicado heaven.
Any idea when they will be gone? I am tired of running to the car and avoiding outside. I’ve had them landing in my food, on my shoulders, hit me in the eyes. I don’t mind the yearly ones, since they seem to stay in the trees.
Any idea? I know they are a wonder of nature, but enough already.
Message by LL — June 18, 2007 @ 11:25 pm
In most places, the cicadas will die off by early July. The southernmost Illinois populations are already beginning to wane.
Message by Dave Marshall — June 18, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
Is there any way I can get rid of these things? I own a 16 acre area in Wisconsin, and nearly all of it but our large yard is trees. Swarms of them make noises so loud I find it impossible to go outside because I get horrible headaches, and they swarm all over when I am out. How long until they naturally leave the aera (south WI)?
Message by frank — June 18, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
I was amazed when a 17 year cicada landed on my leg. I have not seen any cicada’s in St. John until today, June 17, 2007
Message by Sherry G. — June 17, 2007 @ 5:17 pm
At our Cub Scout Webelos overnighter, my son decided to spear, roast and eat a cicada. He told the other boys that it tasted like peanut butter. This encouraged other scouts to try them, including one boy who put one on a smore and ate it.
Message by Colleen Gammon — June 17, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Are female cicada’s bigger then male’s?
Message by Diane — June 15, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
how long have the 17 year cicada been around northern illinois doing their ‘cycling’?
Message by mike t — June 15, 2007 @ 1:20 pm
Just Arrived I live in Berwyn,il. There were none at all until today June 14 flag day. I travel these roads everyday,but today I was surpised when driving right by mcneal hospital,I saw several fly past. Then you could hear them. They are not as loud as in other areas, but I think they got a late start because it was so quiet.So this may extend their welcome far past july 1st.If Svengoulie reads these messages, then maybe he will do a show on Cicadas in Berwyn.
Message by rob — June 14, 2007 @ 2:16 pm
WHEN WILL THEY BE GONE? So many people have asked and no answers. I’ve heard everything from 3 weeks to 10 weeks. It’s a total nightmare where I live and causes me great anxiety.
Message by Cathy — June 14, 2007 @ 6:47 am
Patty,
Try this link. It shows maps where they’ve been sighted:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/broadband/chi-cicada-map-html,0,1315785.htmlstory
Message by Lucy — June 14, 2007 @ 5:36 am
I am in Aurora IL and have not seen a single cicada! I’m looking for an emergence map that shows abundant sightings as close to home as possible … Any suggestions?
Message by Patty — June 13, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
When will they stop flying?!? I am fine with them cozied up in their trees but I can’t wear a windbreaker, hood pulled tight, for another 90 degree day. I think they’re cool and I like looking at them and learning about them, but… how many more days someone give me a countdown for my own state of mind. By the way… I live in Lombard (emerged May 21 in force in my yard) and I work in Hinsdale (cicada mecca) I need a break. Thanks and buzz on boys, buzz on.
Message by Jenny — June 13, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Perhaps with so many cicadas overcrowding certain trees, they move away from the competition to have a chance to get noticed and get the girl, so to speak. Who knows?
Message by Lucy — June 13, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
Thanks Lucy. That’s what I was thinking too. It’s just weird. It seems more than just wind-blown randomness. There’s a lot, but not hordes. Almost like they’re purposely migrating. And I’m noticing increasing amounts everyday. At a time where I expected them to be dying, they seem pretty lively overhere all of the sudden. Thanks for responding.
Message by Dan — June 13, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
I watched the “Return of the Cicadas” documentary a few weeks ago, and it said they can be blown around by strong winds/rain. We had a couple of really windy days a week of so ago; maybe some ended up in trees away from where they were “born? Or maybe they move to trees that are not so conjested. Just a guess.
Message by Lucy — June 13, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
I work in Wheaton and live in Aurora. Both locations are ‘newer’ developments, where I didn’t expect to see Cicadas. Only since June 11th, have I started seeing/hearing Cicadas. I now see them constantly at work and they are buzzing in the trees all over by my house, and everywhere in between. I know they did not ‘emerge’ here, but alas, here they are. I thought they didn’t fly very far. I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts as to how/why they’ve arrived seemingly everywhere I go now. Any know?
P.S. I will miss them when they’re gone.
Message by Dan — June 13, 2007 @ 3:59 pm
I just came back from the lagrange ill forest preserves. While I was driving down lagrange rd, I decided to turn in to the forest preserves. Although while driving in the area it was very loud,it was almost like a horror movie on tv when I turned into the woods.There must be millons in the woods.I plan on going back several times to hear and see this part of nature.I suggest if you can,go see and hear for yourself.It is truly a remakable part of nature and earth.PS dont be afraid because they are not.
Message by rob — June 13, 2007 @ 1:05 pm
When is the madness going to end?? I have dead cicadas all over my patio and sidewalks yet there seem to be three times as many flying around then before. Everytime I leave my house and walk, more like run to my car I have to go through swarms of cicadas. For those of you who keep complaining about not seeing any you would have a different viewpoint if you had to live with it everyday and have fly into your face, hair, grocery bags, car, etc..
Message by Kelli — June 13, 2007 @ 9:07 am
i just finally saw some cicadas in my neighborhood not to many but the sound was loud from what i heard i did not see them come out of the ground are they just flying near my house or are they getting a late start on it cause i heard they should be starting to die off soon
Message by kev — June 12, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
I live on the North Side of Ottawa, Illinois, and I’ve seen only one cicada! He [or she] was on the ground on the side of my house. Marseilles, on the other hand, is full of them! I am so jealous. Where are they? Will we even get them here, or what? I’m not completely sure if there are cicadas on the other sides of Ottawa, though. I’ve heard the answer is no. Anyone enlighten me?
Message by Courtney — June 12, 2007 @ 9:50 am
hey this rebecca i just wanted to know how long do cicadas live?
Message by rebecca — June 11, 2007 @ 10:35 pm
I am so jealous of all the folks that have cicadas in their town. Wheaton has virtually none. I feel so left out. We actually went to Glen Ellyn to import some to our trees. I’m so sad…
Message by Kirsten — June 11, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
at camp i saw a bout 1 thousang ciadas on one tree, it’s crasy
Message by megan — June 11, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
at camp i saw a bout 1 thousang ciadas on one tree, it;s crasy
Message by megan — June 11, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
Can Cicadas be born, well, mutaded like siamese twins? like a 2 headed cicada? or born without wings or somthin. or 15 legs??
Message by Elijah — June 9, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
Jordan - I keep hearing they should be gone by July 4th.
Message by Andie — June 9, 2007 @ 9:42 am
A couple more weeks.
Message by Dan — June 9, 2007 @ 9:39 am
i live in illinois. how long will the cicadas be around?
Message by jordan cin — June 9, 2007 @ 9:37 am
I have a bunch of dead cicadas on my patio. Are these cicadas dead from other causes or are they the ones who have already mated? How long does it take for a cicada to die after it mates? I really, really hate these things but on the other hand I feel they should really live it up since it’s the last few weeks of their lives!
Message by Andie — June 9, 2007 @ 6:09 am
Patti — they certainly don’t like cold, and torrential rains pouring into their holes. I hope they make it up to Milwaukee.
Message by Dan — June 8, 2007 @ 10:10 am
Hey Cicada Guy - Love the website. I check it daily here at my corporate headquarters. We are so anxious for the cicadas to hit our town (Milwaukee). We had wicked weather last night. Heavy rains, winds and tornados all around us in the suburbs. Do you think this will keep the cicadas from visiting us? Is is possible they can die off before they ever get a chance to live?
Message by Patti — June 8, 2007 @ 6:23 am
Put them up on Flickr!
Message by Dan — June 8, 2007 @ 4:48 am
i have great pictures about cicada, i want to share them, how can i do that here?
Message by Merci Yangco — June 7, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
It is just past dusk and I just returned from inspecting the fence pickets in my back yard. In years past the annual cicadas have used the pickets as much as the trees to pop out of their shells. But, alas, still no activity in northeast Oak Park. All the conditions for emergence have been met including temperature, moisture and expediency (time is running out). Does anyone know if the subterranean nymphs sometimes bump into one another down there and actually communicate? Might they be saying “two more days to D-Day” (actually yesterday June 6) or “the big break is tonight, pack your bags”?
Message by Joseph Brady — June 7, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
I need to record the sound of cicadas somewhere near New York City, ideally somewhere accessible from public transportation. Any suggestions on where to do this?
Thanks.
Message by Tom — June 7, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
I LIVE IN AN OLDER WOODED AREA IN ALGONQUIN IL…HAVENT SEEN 1 CICADA YET…WHATS THE DEAL ?
Message by JAMES — June 7, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
We had a great emergence of Cicadas on our property in Midlothian on 5/23-24, but today 6/7, there appears to be a second emergence greater than the first! Scads of them on the trees and VERY active in the air. I know they are affected by tempurature and it’s hot today, but there are more cicadas today than in the last 3 weeks. Does anyone know what’s up?
Message by Colleen — June 7, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
I too am terrified of them. I have daily panic attacks becuase they are EVERYWHERE. I live in Brookfield where they seem to live too. Can you tell me when this madness will end? Also, when will I stop seeing new ones? I cant handle it much longer. Though I found out if my fiance turns the sprinkler on….I can run to my car and I havnet been nailed yet.
Please, when will they stop?
Message by Sue — June 7, 2007 @ 8:54 am
Do we have an end date for these little buggers? I’m terrified of this whole “phenomenon.” I live in a wooded area and there are massive amounts. They are all over the sidewalks, the trees right outside my door, my car etc. They fly and land on me, I’m having anxiety attacks, this is a nightmare.
Message by Andie — June 7, 2007 @ 8:12 am
This morning on my way to work, i was driving with my window half way open, when all of a sudden i feel something hit me on the head. I looked to the backseat and happened to find a Cicada. The little fracker hit me on da head! lol….
Message by Miguel A. Beltran — June 6, 2007 @ 4:22 pm
Depends on how old the plumb tree is. Older trees do just fine — in fact fruit trees are know to produce more fruit the following year after a cicada emergence.
Message by Dan Century — June 6, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
Texas, and most states, get annual cicadas every year. Texas has plenty of cicadas.
Message by Dan Century — June 6, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
In my Mothers’ purple leave plum tree there are little holes in straight lines going around the trunk and up several of the larger branches, are these cicadas, and will they kill the tree, if so how can we stop them? My Mother and Father planted that tree when we were small, now he’s gone and we are grown, she would hate to lose the tree
Message by cassandra riddell — June 6, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
Here in South Texas, we comment about cicadas every summer. I saw what I thought was one a couple of days ago, but it doesn’t look like the cicadas I’ve seen on this site, and since they arrive every summer without fail, I am wondering whether or not they truly are cicadas. What can you tell me about their occurrence in South Texas, specifically San Antonio?
Message by Christine — June 6, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
I BELIEVE IF THEY ARE NOT OUT YET I THINK THEY ARE NOT COMING
Message by JOE PEPETONE — June 6, 2007 @ 8:51 am
As of June 5, I have only seen one cicada shell on my daily run throughout Northeast Oak Park. I mistakenly thought the full moon would pull them out, but I was wrong. In the last few days it has been either too cold or too rainy. Why OP is two weeks behind the western burbs and one week behind the north shore, I do not know. Maybe it is the collective concentration of people in Oak Park trying to will them into action. Then again, it may be Oak Park’s heavy clay soil that I suspect may be providing a cooler than ideal 64 degree emergence trigger. These are all just guesses.
Message by Joseph Brady — June 5, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
THe cicadas emerged Sunday evening May 27th in our backyard in Glenview. We could see them come out of the grass and watch as the grass moved with them. We watched them crawl up anything including my leg as they began their ascent. It was truly amazing to see them crack their shells an transform before our eyes. THe next morning HUNDREDS were on hostas, tree trunks, fence posts, our deck. They crawled and practiced short flights. This ritual continues even tonight, eight nights later. The numbers may be slightly fewer but all in all, we can’t believe SO many keep appearing!!!!!!!
Message by Sharon TIerney — June 4, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
Cicadas are prone to fungal infections. Sometimes the fungus expands until the abdomen falls off. I’ve seen walking cicada heads quite a few times. Male abdomens are also pretty much hollow, so that makes the situation more likely.
Message by Dan Century — June 4, 2007 @ 7:48 am
We were at The Grove in Glenview this past Saturday with our kids. We found about a dozen cicadas in the same location without bodies, just heads. They were alive and walking, and they were fully coordinated. I’m not talking about muscle twitches after an insect it killed, I’m talking fully alive cicadas walking with full motor coordination. They might have been able to fly, too, although I didn’t see them fly. They looked perfectly healthy and their wings were flawless, but they had no abdoman or thorax at all. We asked the experts at The Grove. They said that they had never seen cicadas like that, and said it must be a mutation of some sort. To me it didn’t look like they were born without bodies, and it didn’t look like an animal or insect ripped the bodies off because the wings were not torn up. It looked like they had simply dropped their bodies. You could see into their heads through their necks. There was dried light brown stuff that sealed the neck hole. The hole looked identical in all of the cicadas we found. Does anyone know if this is indeed a mutation or something else…perhaps a disease or parasite that makes the bodies fall off?
Message by Amy Warlick — June 4, 2007 @ 6:27 am
Sugar Grove Il here,
about 40 miles west of Chicago. I have not seen a single cicada as of yet. Even went to the forest preserve [bliss woods] not a darn cicada in sight. Are they not coming? I was planning on serving them to my inlaws for dinner this weekend, hee.. hee!
Message by Deb — June 1, 2007 @ 11:43 am
Hey…um….Buster, just wait until the cicadas die off in a few weeks. You will get plenty of stinky “cicada mulch” then. BTW if anyone on the board fishes the nymphs are great fish bait. The kids & I caught a few dozen catfish with them several years back.
Message by Roy troutman — June 1, 2007 @ 11:18 am
IF THEY ARE NOT AROUND BY NOW DOES THAT MEAN THEY ARE NOT COMING TO MY AREA
Message by JOE PEPETONE — June 1, 2007 @ 9:36 am
Dan:
I wrote a couple of days ago, thanks for your comment regarding cicadas in Texas. You said Texas does not have 13/17-year, can you tell what species (Dallas), problem being our condo has an open (wrought iron gate) facing a creek, one can literally hear right through the garage area up 2-3 levels, sounds coming through walls, earphones do not work. My reposed question, isn’t it unusual to hear 24/7? Also, how long before these non-13/17-hear species cease noise (most always hot, as you know, in Texas)…thanks again.
Message by Pat — June 1, 2007 @ 7:19 am
I don’t get it. I live in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. The neighborhood is loaded with Cicadas. I went to the Forest Preserve (untouched for 40 years) and not one. Why?
Message by Mitch — June 1, 2007 @ 7:15 am
I live in Roscoe (on the Wisconsin border, north of Rockford) and we have thousands and thousands of cicadas. We do live in the woods with many older oak trees. There is probably a 2 to 3 inch ring of “cicada mulch” around most of the trees, not to mention the driveway will need to be shoveled soon. The kids & dog are having a blast.
BH
Message by Buster Hymen — May 31, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
I live in the south end of Glenview Illinois and there are 10’s of thousands of ciadias around our house. Not as many on the east side of our street as on the west side and even a few blocks away there are very few. It’s worse for us this time than last. The neighbors tree has so many at the base, that you could shovel them up into a small bucket. They are crawling up anything mostly dark… but even lighter objects, too. They seem to be selective where they choose to sit. Our two evergreen shrubs in front have few, while the small baby evergreen tree only 10 feet away is packed with the bugs on every spare spot. They started popping out a few days ago. So, I think they’ll be other reports coming soon from northern Illinois.
Message by diane — May 31, 2007 @ 11:38 am
My blog below is about Cicada Powered air planes, not paper cicada look-ah-like planes!
Message by Dick Bolt — May 31, 2007 @ 9:51 am
I like Cicadas. We had them here (Eastern MD) in 2004.None reported in Western MD as I remember.
I & my son built cicada powered air planes & got into the local newspapers with photo. I did engine tests (throwing cicadas forward to see if they flew & how hard)first & had kids collecting for me and working as if a science fair was going on. As I remember, females flew down & males flew up when released. So I chose only male engines. I built several 1 engine & two engine planes. Planes were from dollar store balsa cheep.I super glued the engines to the wings! I never got much out of flights. I guess if your but was glued to a board, you would not want to fly either! As I will not be alive next time around in 15 yrs, it might be another to hitch them correctly to fly! It was done with house flys, so why not cicadas.
*** in Bowie MD
PS, I have photos stored from 2004 somewhere.
Message by Dick Bolt — May 31, 2007 @ 9:29 am
cicads are some wired creatuures!!!!!!!!!!!!
Message by Myarra — May 30, 2007 @ 11:23 am
I wish cicadas were flooding my front porch! I haven’t seen one yet!
Message by Anna in plainfield — May 30, 2007 @ 8:22 am
As of 5-29 at 12 noon no sightings yet on ten hundred block of Mapleton. Not many in the general area either, but pockets in River Forest.
Wednesday and Thursday will be the big days. The attraction of the moon, big right now, but full as can be on Thursday (5-31)may play a big part, but also may be a coincidence.
What do you think?
Have counted 2 to 3 mud patch holes per sq ft in between bricks on patio. But maybe these are from real big worms.
Message by joseph brady — May 29, 2007 @ 10:43 am
Is it true that there are no cicadas, annual or otherwise, native to the Pacific Northwest?
Message by Melanie Wilson — May 29, 2007 @ 9:24 am
I live in Huntley, IL and I have not seen one cicada yet!!
I am very sad becasue my daughter is 2.5 years old - the same age I was at my first Cicada year in 1973ish - Does any one know if they will be coming to McHenry Co??
Message by Karen L — May 29, 2007 @ 8:11 am
Cicadas are flooding my front porch. Can anyone tell me of their dislikes. Something I can use to prevent them from infesting my home.
Message by Cheryl Ferguson — May 29, 2007 @ 5:40 am
Wildlife should be seen, heard, but not fed by humans.
Message by Dan — May 28, 2007 @ 9:07 am
Actually, Lake Michigan is probably cleaner than it used to be. In the past few years the gulls have moved inland. They can probably find more food in parking lots and garbage dumps than by Lake Michigan. I’ve even seen people feeding them in the parking lots. That’s probably why they are more abundant in the neighborhoods this year than 17 years ago.
Message by Sue — May 28, 2007 @ 8:52 am
Texas doesn’t have periodic/17/13 year cicadas, but you do have other species. They should be making their presence heard soon enough if the weather stays hot.
Message by Dan — May 28, 2007 @ 12:07 am
Are cicadas hitting Texas this year? If so, are these the 13-year or 17-year brood? Have never heard them here before. The noise has been truly incessant today, especially (hot, muggy) after recent storm. Have heard for the past two weeks (24/7), please advise your prediction how much longer before noise may cease, and isn’t it unusual to hear 24/7? Thanks.
Message by Pat — May 27, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
I wonder why the gulls aren’t haging out by the lake? Maybe the lake is so polluted now, that they have to go inland for food — unfortunately for the cicadas.
Message by Dan — May 27, 2007 @ 10:38 pm
The cicadas have been out in my neighborhood for a week now. We have had an enormous number of seagulls coming and eating them. Flocks of sometimes 50 gulls and more come down the street stopping to devour whatever they can. I know there were not this many gulls 17 years ago. Will this increase in the gull population affect the number of cicadas 17 years from now?
Message by Sue — May 27, 2007 @ 5:57 pm
That’s a good question. They lay their eggs in the branches of trees. The females have an instrument called a terebra that that they use to dig out a slit in the branch and that’s where they lay their eggs. The eggs hatch and the cicada larvae flop to the ground, and start burrowing. They don’t die from the fall because they have a low terminal velocity — like cats and other small creatures.
The egg laying in the branches is what kills the branches.
Message by Dan — May 26, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
You have a great site. I found it very informative.
I have been trying to find out where they lay their eggs? Do they climb trees to eat, then return to the ground to bury their eggs? Or are the eggs left in the trees and the larvae crawl down and into the ground?
I aplogize if you answered this question already. I looked and looked and looked and didn’t see anything about this.
Thank you.
Von
Message by Von — May 26, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
kgmoney1@aol.com
Please don’t kill cicadas in order to find out if they’re sick. There’s plenty of dead ones lying around, you could dissect those instead.
Message by Mike — May 25, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
I went out to my car and found a baby cicada sitting on the trunk. So i let it crawl on my finger and brought in side.
Message by anita — May 25, 2007 @ 8:45 am
My husband and I were in Lombard a couple of days ago and saw many Cicada holes and a couple of live ones. I am out in Carol Stream and live behind a park and pond with many old tree, but not a single Cicada or even a hole yet from what I have seen. I am starting to doubt if we are going to get them in Carol Stream at all. I hope we do, I have been telling my daughter about it for weeks. Anyone know of an emeregence in Carol Stream or if they even emerge here at all?
Message by Jess — May 24, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
Hi everybody,
I am a college student doing research on the 17 year cicada. I am trying to find out if the cicadas are parasitized by anything like pin worms, nematodes, or anything like that. I have collected some nymphs and dissected them to see if I can find any parasites. I have not found anything yet, but I plan to catch some adults as soon as they emerge. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about cicadas and parasites. If you do anything that may be able to help my research please send me an e-mail at kgmoney1@aol.com Thanks to all and have fun with the cicadas.
Message by Kenny Glassman — May 24, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
I live in deerfield Illinois. I was walking around looking for cicada shells (in my yard) to look at in my microscope when I heard a buzzing noise. I looked over and saw a upside down cicada flapping its wings like crazy. I picked it up on a stick and took it over to a tree. Immediately, it started crawling up the tree until I couldn’t see it, so I climbed up myself (I made sure not to step on any other cicadas). Then, I saw it stop at nearly the top of the tree and then started laying its eggs! It was so cool!
Message by Ethan — May 23, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
why do they come into certain areas? I haven’t seen any yet in my niegborhood but I know they are there.
Message by Katie — May 23, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
why do they come into certain areas? I haven’t seen any yet in my niegborhood but I know they are there.
Message by Katie — May 23, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
We’re aware of cicada in Arizona, but people rarely ask about them or contribute content, so there isn’t much mention on the site. You might disagree, but they aren’t as exciting as periodic cicadas. There is some Arizona info buried on the site, including this link http://bugs.bio.nau.edu/Homoptera/azhomoptera.htm
that lists dozens of species with pictures.
Message by Dan — May 23, 2007 @ 4:49 am
I live west of Phoenix in Arizona in the desert. There is no mention of cicadas here even though we definately have the cicada visits. Annually.
Can you tell me why they don’t mention any in Arizona?
Their verticle burrow holes are very noticeable. Along with their music.
Our trees did suffer quite a bit of damage the last couple of years from them. My brother lost a number of small ones, where ours were larger ones. There are many trees here in the desert(palo verdes) for them.
I do not wish the cicadas any harm, but it you have a tree you would like to save from harm, I found a method that works. At the area where the bark is disturbed and sap is flowing, I use a stick to scrape of as much as possible. I then spray the area with a spray paint. The cicadas or other insects do not return to the spot and the tree is saved.
Thank you!
Message by Lisa Bilinski — May 23, 2007 @ 12:09 am
I’ve never heard of them damaging conifers, but if they’re desperate enough, they might.
It’s safe to mow. The emergence in Michigan should be minimal.
Message by Dan — May 22, 2007 @ 5:47 pm
Maybe 100 decibels or so.
Message by Dan — May 22, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
how loud are they? like all of them together not just one?
Message by Jenna — May 22, 2007 @ 4:26 pm
i live in the corner of southwest michigan, but have been out of state for a week. when i go home, the lawn is going to need tending- is it safe for me to mow? will i disturb 17 year cicadas beneath my lawn? will i harm them or start a swarm? when is it safest to mow?
Message by kayla — May 21, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
Can Cicadas damage smaller conifers, or is it only small deciduous trees that we need to protect?
Message by Angie — May 21, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
Cicadas drink tree fluids, and they do metamorphize. The final stage (instar) of their metamorphosis is called imagination, which is when the nymph becomes the adult (imago).
Message by Dan — May 21, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
What do cicadas eat?
Do they have metamorphisis?
Message by hailey — May 21, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
Hello Kristina,
I have a decent sound byte you can use of a Magicicada cassini. I also have cicadas chorusing but don’t have good recordings of the other 2 species. e-mail me @ sbpstudios@gmail.com.
Message by Roy Troutman — May 15, 2007 @ 1:20 pm
My 7 year old is doing a project on cicadas for his 1st grade class. Is there a good sound byte of the cicada “songs” that he can play?
Message by Kristina — May 15, 2007 @ 11:51 am
Hi Matt -
The key words in that text are “serious noise”. There will still be cicada sound after the choruses start to decline, perhaps still loud by many standards. It will be more like a month (after things first get loud) before things seem normal again. Those words are only a rough estimate.
It really depends on where you are too, in part because the chorusing centers tend to slowly shift location. If you get stuck with a really dense Magicicada cassini chorus in your backyard, in a tree right outside your favorite window, it will be longer than average before things seem quiet again.
Message by David Marshall — May 14, 2007 @ 8:45 am
I’ve seen one specific reference about how long the cicada Brood XIII noise will last only 2 weeks (even though the cicadas may be around for longer than that). Can someone confirm? I’d like to know if the noise lasts longer or shorter so I can make travel plans, because the noise will drive me nuts after the novelty of it wears off.
Here’s the reference:
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/michigan_cicadas/Periodical/magiFAQ.html
and an excerpt:
“How long will the cicadas be out in my yard/neighborhood/city?
About 4-6 weeks after they first start emerging. Most individual cicadas live only a few weeks, but since they emerge over a period of two weeks or so the whole event lasts longer. The serious noise will get going about a week and half after you first notice them and will last about two weeks more. After that things get a lot quieter.”
Message by Matt — May 11, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
Do you know exactly the next emmergence or brood of magicicada in Illinois? Is it about 25 of May or later..
Thanks a lot for your answer
Message by Gerard — May 3, 2007 @ 7:39 am
are you supposed to paint the exterior of your home during the cicadas? Will they spoil the paint job by attaching to the house? I would so appreciate an answer to this question!
Message by iz reidy — April 30, 2007 @ 3:37 pm
They’ll aerate the areas around the trees, so you could still have the non-shaded areas done.
Message by Dan — April 25, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
I was thinking of having my yard aerated this year, but since this is the year for cicada’s in my area, I wonder if I still need to. Will they do a good job of aerating the soil or should I hire someone to do this for me? Will this damage them if I do decide to aerate?
Message by Beth in Chicago — April 25, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
My 10-year-old daughter has chosen the periodic cicadas as her school project subject. What she plans to do is attempt to calculate the number of cicadas that will emerge in our town. I am helping her with her math model, but she/we need a little help.
She needs to find the average number of cicadas that live under a single tree and a single bush. Also, the survival rates during the 17-year dormancy.
Any information source for this would be greatly appreciated.
Message by scott johnson — April 24, 2007 @ 12:16 pm
Sir,
We intend to visit Chicago during June 2007. Please let us know whether we can joy our stay there? Whither Cicadas affect our stay & feel discomfort?
r.srinivasaraaghavan
Message by R.SRINIVASARAAGHAVAN — April 17, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
the cicada is a japanes bug.
Message by khalid — April 17, 2007 @ 8:53 am
I had a large tree removed down to the roots about 8 years ago. Will the cicadas still come out of the ground and, if so, where will they go?
Message by Joe — April 10, 2007 @ 10:41 am
It’s 2 months away…we’re about to be hit in June with the 17 year breed here in the Chicago area. I plan to take many pictures and post them on www.seventeenyearcicada.com
This will be the third time I can remember seeing these creatures (I was four years old the first time and can’t recall
So stay tuned.
Message by John — March 31, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
False alarm on cicadas in Fayetteville,NC. I went over to see what I could find, and it turned out to be thousands of frogs mating.
Message by Laura — March 25, 2007 @ 9:51 am
March 25, 2007
I am in Fayetteville, NC and last night the buzz/chirping started across the lake. I’m walking over today to see if I can spot some cicadas.
Message by Laura — March 25, 2007 @ 7:52 am
I have found in March 2007 a died couple (M & F) of cicada from the root of plant in desert of Thar(Pakistan)
www.colourthrophy.8m.com
rehman_azeemi@yahoo.com
Message by Anjum — March 22, 2007 @ 3:22 pm
hello all 5 pieces cicadas of 2 speces are avail able for reserchers contect rehman_azeemi@yahoo.com
Anjum
Message by Anjum — March 22, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
Cold blooded. All insects are cold blooded.
Message by Dan — March 12, 2007 @ 7:59 pm
I have a question and answer sheet that i have to do for science and i was wondering if Cicadas are cold or warm blooded
Message by Ari — March 12, 2007 @ 7:19 pm
The same questions on the life cycle and lifespan. please check FAQs on this website for ALL the answers
Message by david — March 8, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
How long do cicadas live and what’s there lifecycle?
Message by bob — March 5, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
That question again… Cicadas are cicadas and locusts are grasshopper. They are not the same.
Message by Dan — March 1, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Are cicadas and locust the same or are they different and if they are how so?
Message by billy — February 28, 2007 @ 5:57 pm
The advantage is predators don’t have time to adapt to their behavior.
Message by Dan — February 25, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
What possible survival advantage can a 17 year life cycle have?
Message by Chris Gladstone — February 25, 2007 @ 1:31 pm
hi all cicada lovers do you need any audio vedio or dry cicada of many speces for resersh only reserchers will be oblized
rehmany2k64@yahoo.com
Message by Anjum — January 17, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
hi all cicada lovers do you need any audio vedio or dry cicada of many speces for resersh only reserchers will be oblized
Message by Anjum — January 17, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
Hi all Cicada Lovers, I myself love all insects. I have always been interested in insects. I have a website with insect links and photos. Enjoy
Message by Bill D. — November 17, 2006 @ 9:18 am
I live in the Western subs of IL. I have an above ground pool. Will these little guys be a burden? When exactly do they come out and for how long? ew
Message by Joyce — November 13, 2006 @ 8:56 pm
What are the different types of cicades??
Message by hawill — November 11, 2006 @ 9:17 pm
I found this site when searching for cicadas.
http://www.magicicada.com
There music kind of sounds like cicadas buzzing, at time.
Message by Amazed — November 1, 2006 @ 7:18 am
I want to know what sounds a cicada makes. And do they make sounds 24 hours a day? How long will they make the sounds? I live in Georgia and I keep hearing the high pitch sounds.
Message by Larry Gunnels — October 26, 2006 @ 8:06 pm
I´m posting again to publish my messenger ok…
brunomontanhez@hotmail.com
Message by Montanhez — October 12, 2006 @ 10:23 pm
im a biology student that was seeking for Quesada gigas pictures and then found this place! it´s looks really nice…congratulations
and….there´s any brasilian on this forum?
Message by Montanhez — October 12, 2006 @ 10:21 pm
With these things it’s really the luck of the draw — they might be a no show, or they could make things miserable. It might pay to ask the owners of the property what happened 17 years earlier.
Message by Dan — October 3, 2006 @ 7:57 pm
The wedding ceremony only will be in Willowbrook, IL, southwest of Chicago about 25 miles in our backyard which has trees and shrubs (but house and yard about 6 years old) and surrounded by property that has lots of trees and undisturbed (undeveloped) land. Based on reading the Wedding Planner which I found after posting my question, sounds like you need a sense of humor if you don’t reschedule. Seems it would be very distracting and take away the focus from the ceremony.
Message by Yola — October 2, 2006 @ 2:28 pm
Depends on where the wedding is going to be.
Message by Dan — October 1, 2006 @ 9:39 am
My daughter has planned an outdoor wedding in our backyear for 6/16/07. I think we should reschedule. Any comments?
Message by Yola — October 1, 2006 @ 6:25 am
Chicago’s breed is due in June 2007. They will emerge around June 9 and will last about four weeks.
You can set your clock to that.
Message by John — September 14, 2006 @ 2:19 am
Hi Anjum- your email address does not seem to be correct. Please correct for contact or email to >
David.
Message by david — September 12, 2006 @ 3:03 am
for reserch purpes if need cicada i can provide you onlowest rates from Pakistan about 16 veraities are avail able contect rehmany2k64 at yahoo
Message by Anjum — September 10, 2006 @ 5:28 am
Which month and approximately which week will the brood xiii cicada’s hatch their final molt in Chicago, Illinois?
Message by Dario — September 4, 2006 @ 8:25 am
i didnt know what what outside but it was huge and then we caught it with its prey and there both still alive the the cicada is paralized, my daughter wants to bring it to school to show her science teacher and my question is how can i keep them alive and when with the cicada become un paralized?
thank you
angie
lake charles,louisiana
Message by angie — September 2, 2006 @ 2:47 pm
We were having breakfast this morning on our screen porch and a large, strange bug was sitting on the outside of the screen. I suspected a cicada and a quick web search led me to this site. Sure enough, it’s a magicicada!
The kids and I enjoyed learning about cicada habits, although we’re curious about this particular cicada because it’s so late in the summer and we aren’t due for our cicada cycle until next year (we’re in Hartford, WI). We’ve decided that this one must be a scout.
Message by The Ohm Family — August 26, 2006 @ 8:38 am
I wonder, if I can find frequency distribution of cicada songs.
Thanks for any hints.
Message by Serge — August 24, 2006 @ 8:30 am
I am an insect collector and recently obtained two male cicadas of the same species in Las Vegas. Based on my extensive travels throughout southern Nevada and the Las Vegas area, it literally sounds as if there is only one local cicada species in the area-I only hear one that sounds like a constant buzz saw and no other “songs” of distinctive species. Can anyone out there list the prevalent cicada-genus and species-of the Las Vegas area?
Message by Jeff Clark — August 23, 2006 @ 5:19 pm
I absolutely love the sound of cicadas. I still do, though I’m watching a very creepy “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni” (When the Cicadas Cry). It’s a Japanese horror anime with a deceptively cutesy art style, and cicadas are prominant in the closing credits. The distinctive sounds appear in the soundtrack and now we get a delicious little shiver when evening falls and the cicadas begin their symphony.
But they *are* summer nights (and days) to me!
Message by Laura — August 23, 2006 @ 10:40 am
okay so I KNOW these insects are called cicadas, and I love them dearly - my mother tells me she could hear them singing when I was born (july 25), so for me, hearing them is something akin to the primal scream….
But WHY did we call them “locusts” in Cleveland where I grew up? I don’t think I learned to call them cicadas until I moved to NJ in 10970.
second question: my own personal rule of thumb, based on observation, is that cicadas don’t “sing” unless the temperature outside is 70 F or above - is that true?
Kathy Harsany
cicada (and katydid) fan
Greenwich, CT
Message by kathy harsany — August 22, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
Hi there
i have a diana maple it one year old,two weeks ago the leaves were brown and wilted they were flexable now their crispy and falling.I was told that there could be a fungus.Could there be a fungus,the tree is kept watered.
Message by Joan Bowers — August 19, 2006 @ 9:05 pm
I live in Indianapolis, IN. Why do we have so many cicadas this year? I don’t remember the cicadas being this loud except for a couple of years ago.
Message by William H — August 19, 2006 @ 5:40 pm
I’m so happy to find a site dedicated to this creature! Living in New York City, the cicada has become the sound of summer (along with ice cream truck bells and the drone of air-conditioners.) However, this summer, I’m sad to say, the sound has been absent. Is this part of the 17-year cycle? I can’t remember a summer without the sound of the cicadas each morning and evening. On the hottest days they could even be heard during midday. I’ve lived in NYC 39 years and I’m hoping that no environmental factors have led to their elimination from this area. Please advise.
Message by Joseph Scrivani — August 9, 2006 @ 6:49 am
How do you say this insects name.
Message by Judy — August 9, 2006 @ 1:50 am
We live in upstate New York, just east of Albany. On returning from a seaside vacation the end of July, we noticed a very loud insect sound at dusk, continuing through the wee hours. We have not heard this before, and it is keeping us up all night. My husband thought it might be locusts, so I searched the web and now we think we have them. He said he found a dead one in our yard. Can anyone tell us how long to expect this racket? It is very disruptive. We are new to this.
Message by Cassandra — July 31, 2006 @ 4:33 pm
I need to get a Cicada for Biology and I have no idea where to look. Where might I find one? And when should I look for one?
Message by Elizabeth — July 18, 2006 @ 12:02 am
I found a cicada grub in it’s last instar (I think), where it’s emerged from hte ground as a bronze kind of pupae on legs. It was lost groping around aimlessly on the pavement in the baking sun.
I thought it should be moved into the foliage where it could take to a leaf….so I did just that, but I noticed it had white eyes unlike any others I’d seen (usually having brown or black eyes.
It also seemed very weak. Is it unusual for cicadas in this stage of development, to have white eyes? If so why?
Message by dan — July 10, 2006 @ 12:10 am
Does anyone have any tips for preserving cicadas? I find our local Tibicens rather attractive and would like to “shellac” one. (An already dead one; I’d never kill one! It’s not at all hard to find corpses once summer gets into full swing here in VA.) Do you think I could just use clear-coat enamel, or would that damage the wings?
Message by Khate — July 2, 2006 @ 9:08 am
My girlfriend is from England, and had never had any experience with cicadas, she calls them “screaming bugs”. We are here in missouri, and I never knew that there was a 17 year cycle. Thanks for the site, and info.
Message by Josh — July 1, 2006 @ 7:44 pm
Hi Connor,
There are many different types of Cicadas in the United States. At least 150 different species. Other names that can also mean “cicada” that people say are as follows:
Locust
Dog Day Cicada
Harvest fly
Heat Bug
And even some species of cicadas can have their own nick-names. For instance:
Tibicen chloromera - “The Swamp Cicada”
Tibicen auletes - “The Scissor Grinder”
Tibicen lyricen - “The lyric Cicada”
Magicicada - “17 year locusts”
Hope that helps.
Gerry Bunker
Massachusetts Cicadas
http://www.mechaworx.com/cicada/masscic1.asp
Message by Gerry — June 29, 2006 @ 9:05 pm
I have been asked by my teacher at school to find out another name for cicada. What are cicadas also known as?
Message by Connor James — June 21, 2006 @ 10:40 pm
Hi Dan, Looks as though some useless spam did get through with mesage 66!! To Debbie (67), cicadas do not bite, they suck sap through a “rostrum” (straw) like mozzies. They are quite magnificently constructed and coloured with each species having a distinct song- not too ugly once you get to know them!! Just watch one emerging and you’ll be hooked!
Message by david — May 30, 2006 @ 7:05 pm
do these UGLY creatures bite and if so what needs to be done for treatment. I am in texas
Message by Debbie — May 28, 2006 @ 5:59 pm
Does anyone have information regarding where in Pennsylvania Brood XIV of Magicicada has emerged in the past? I know they’re due back in 2008 and I’d really like to see them. Please email me at BigEdK7@aol.com if you have any information.
Thank you,
Ed
Message by Ed — May 22, 2006 @ 11:39 am
In school we are studing about the rain forest and Im serching for people to help the rain forest from being burnt and cut down. I know this coment probebly dosen’t mean any thing to you, but it means the world to me. One forth of our rain forest are gone, and they say all the medicans in the world are in the rain forset so we are destorying medicans that we need. Now I bet you don’t care, but seens you like insects I decided to write this letter to you. Thank you for reading it.
Message by Emily — May 15, 2006 @ 2:24 am
Starting a new site, dedicated to the cause. Here in the Chicago area we will be seeing our little friends next June, 2007 and will be putting up images and videos. Until then, the website
www.seventeenyearcicada.com
will be up and running.
John
Message by John — May 12, 2006 @ 11:48 pm
Cicadas seem to be pretty rare here in Nova Scotia. I’m looking for a source of cicada “remains” which are intact and in good condition. I am hoping to find 10-20 at least. This is for an arts project.
Only Cicadas who have “ceased to bee” please!
Kevin
Message by Kevin — April 19, 2006 @ 3:47 am
I would have to say they were disturbed under the the trash box. I would think it would be very very unusual to see them this early. you are right, you probibly would not see any until at least late june-july
Message by Matt — April 14, 2006 @ 3:10 pm
I live in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and we are just barely breaking into spring (snow last weekend, this week 20 degrees C in the day, nights around 0). No leaves on trees yet, and grass just barely poking out of the ground.
Today we found about 3 or 4 adult cicadas scattered in the parking lot — most of them squished, but one still feebly moving its legs. I’m assuming they are adults: about 1 1/2 inches long, a dark drab brown, almost looking a bit moldy. There was signs of a large trash box moved in the area, so perhaps they were under it, and were disturbed.
We usually only get cicadas in the hot part of July & August… any ideas what might be going on here?
thanks for helping with the mystery.
jeannine
Message by jeannine — April 12, 2006 @ 8:25 am
What is it about the cicada’s that places them in the classification?
Message by Chrissy — April 3, 2006 @ 12:39 pm
You must be suffering the Amphipsalta zealandica chorus in Feb. someone from Auckland complained on this site last year about thier niose. On hot nights, cicadas can sing at intervals during the night, which drives you crazy. The Aussie greengrocers will sing at about 4hour intervals (dusk, 10pm, 2am and 6am) just in case you want to listen. By the way, many cicadas are attracted to UV lights, especially on warm humid nights.
Message by david — March 7, 2006 @ 2:30 am
btw Im in NZ and that would be understood not understoof sorry!! Im used to cicadas but not this many and they have never done this before, I cant find much info on this kinda thing, there are hundreds of them and driving me crazy at times like 3am :/
Message by salacity — February 21, 2006 @ 4:56 am
Okay so I understoof that cicadas were not attracted to light? however tonight the first night of the couple of weeks they have been around this year they started attacking the windows and they were all over my deck its midnight here and I dont understand whats going on Ive never seen anything like it before, is this normal?
Message by salacity — February 21, 2006 @ 4:54 am
Hi Marty,
The “green grocer” in Australia sings when the temp reaches around 18C, but many small species will not sing unless the sun is shining (no matter what the ambient temp).
David.
Message by david — February 16, 2006 @ 10:43 pm
Does a Cicada start chirping at a certain air temperature? if so what is it?
Message by Marty — February 12, 2006 @ 4:55 pm
You can tell by looking at their abdomens. The females abdomen ends with a sharp point, like a sharpened pencil. The male is more stubby, like the top of a house.
Message by Dan Century — November 14, 2005 @ 6:08 am
How do you tell if cicada’s are male or female?
Message by annika — November 13, 2005 @ 10:22 pm
To Julianna,
Messages 48-50. Cicadas suck sap from trees and grasses during development underground and after emergence. They, in turn are “eaten” by higher predators , especially spiders, tree crickets and birds, as well as preyed upon by wasps (”cicada-killer” wasp)and cicada collecting humans, dogs and cats. The shell “exuviae” simply degenerates and gets recycled after emergence, becomes a spider’s temporary home, or gets collected and ground up for some traditional (especially Chinese) medicines.
Underground, cicada nymphs can be attacked by “entomophagic” (insect eating) fungus that kills the cicadas at some stage, but life above ground is pretty short and infection-free. Prolonged rain may promote bacterial disease.
Message by david — October 9, 2005 @ 5:28 pm
Is it true that cicadas have a deathly disease?
Message by Julianna Wojtowicz — October 7, 2005 @ 7:09 pm
What happens to a cicada shell when it’s left there?
Message by Julianna Wojtowicz — October 7, 2005 @ 7:08 pm
what do cicadas eat and what eats them?
Message by Julianna Wojtowicz — October 7, 2005 @ 7:04 pm
What do they eat and what eats them?
Message by Julianna Wojtowicz — October 7, 2005 @ 7:02 pm
Hello I found a Cicada in a spider web (No spider in web) and rescued it.But it can’t fly it’s wings are messed up what do I do?
[Moderator: try to pick the web off its wing and then leave it in a bush. Maybe it will recover.]
Message by Jennifer — September 17, 2005 @ 3:39 pm
do they have to sleep ? can they hurt u
[moderator: Sort of and no.]
Message by caitlin — September 6, 2005 @ 4:57 pm
I live in Northern Virginia, and I’ve seen a few dead cicadas on the ground these past few weeks. They are black like the 17-year cicadas that we had last year, but they have white/greenish eyes. I’ve been hearing them singing in the trees all summer, but I thought they were the regular cicadas that we have every summer. Those are green though, aren’t they? These ones are black, and they look almost the same as the ones we had last year, only they don’t have red eyes. Are they regular annual cicadas or some special brood? Could they be Brood X and have emerged this year instead of last year? But why don’t they have red eyes, then?
Message by Ashley — September 2, 2005 @ 5:20 pm
Hello,I am collecting cicada bodies and would gladly pay for shipping them if you have any. The area I am living in (Haverford, PA) does not have many this year. Please write and let me know. Thank you.
Anne
[Moderator: those are Tibicen, which are an annual species of cicada. Thanks too the massive emergence of Magicicadas, people have become “cicada aware”, and a now, finally noticing the annual species.]
Message by Anne M — September 1, 2005 @ 12:52 pm
Fred,
For a great photo of Tibicen dorsata (Grand western cicada) and some locations, get Boris Kondratieff’s book “Cicadas of Colorado” CSU Press- it’s great.
Message by david — August 29, 2005 @ 10:24 pm
OK, cicada professionals:
What is the ‘Grand Western Cicada? Looking through various websites, I have seen three different ‘grand western cicadas’ One series of photos clearly shows tibicen auletes, definately NOT the GW. Next series of photos from mid, upper western states, like Illinois, Iowa, etc, show a brightly yellow-marked black tibicen-type cicada. And another set, including the one on this site, shows a very un-tibicen like cicada, with a huge, oversized thorax, and a funny, undersized, narrow head. So just who/what/where is the “GRAND WESTERN CICADA, TIBICEN DORSATA?”
Fred
[Moderator: It’s this: Tibicen dorsata.]
Message by Fred Berry — August 23, 2005 @ 6:01 pm
I have so many cicada in my trees that the trees are now getting rot and are dying. is there anyway i can save my 8 trees with out killing all the cicada? They are a childhood favorite and I wouldnt want to kill them but i just bought my home and the 8 trees have been there forever and id like to keep them too. please help! 2 trees are dead and need to be removed before they fall….please dont let more dye too.
Message by April Nowell — August 23, 2005 @ 8:35 am
Wile on our deck today (August 21, 2005) I spotted and took a picture of this insect that I THINK might be a Tibicen Cicada? I don’t know, I have never seen a Cicada before. Of the pictures I found online, that seemed to be the closest match. Could someone confirm if it is a Cicada, and if so what kind it is? After reading the message here I went back out to take a photo with a newspaper, but it was gone. I have posted 4 pictures on my web site at
http://www.softechvt.com/cicada/cicada.htm.
Thanks!
Steve
[Moderator: it’s definitely a Tibicen, and probably a Tibicen pruinosa.]
Message by Steve Smith — August 21, 2005 @ 11:25 am
Can anyone explain to me why I have been seeing cicada on my trees? I live in SC and this is the first time in the 20 years I have lived here that I have noticed these nasty insects. We used to have them in Northern VA about every 7 years but I though by moving down here they wouldn’t be here. I heard a bunch of them in the pine trees last night when I was in my backyard.
Message by kim — August 16, 2005 @ 1:39 pm
My son found a cicada in the driveway today. It has been extremely hot outside so we brought it inside and made a little habitat for it which includes a pine branch, pine straw, dirt, and water on one end. It immediately grabbed ahold of the pine branch where it remains motionless. I prepared him it will likely have a very limited life span. No loud noises yet. Looks like he may mault and I know the kids will enjoy watching.
PS. I operate a municipal ULV insecticide fogging truck and I felt a little guilty leaving it outside. Plus as slow moving as this guy is, he would no doubt ended up as somebodys lunch.
[Moderator: Well, it could be a female — the females don’t make noise.]
Message by Russ — August 15, 2005 @ 6:18 pm
Hi my son and I are trying to find out some info on cicada’s in our area. We live in Freehold, NJ and have been hearing them at night for weeks now. Tonight there is one perched on our screen door. From the websites I’ve read it says that there would’nt be any emerging in ‘05, and that they only live for 2 weeks. They’ve definitly been out there more than 2 weeks.Or am I not getting the right info??
Thanks
Donna
[Moderator: in Jersey you have two basic types of cicadas: 1) the annual type, and 2) the periodical type which arrive every 17 years. Right now you’re seeing the annual type, which belong to the Genus Tibicen]
Message by Donna D. — August 14, 2005 @ 10:39 pm
The Cicadas are here in the Upstate of South Carolina. I live in a little town southwest of Greenville SC called Honea Path. We have Oak and Chesnut Trees and the are singing wonderfully all day like I used to hear them in Southern France.
Now here I need an expert for answers? I heard the same noise last year. Not quite as prominent then this year but still I could hear them well every day.
This year I have been looking around and found some dead Magicicadas.
I am a little lost about this 17 year cicle. How could I have heard some last year and this year.
Are they other types of cicadas that live every year and make a similar noise?
Also as I go about enjoying these wonderful creatures of nature I hear being closer some high pitch singing less loud and frequent?
I would be thankful if anybody can give me more information. Suggestions of site with information and an excellent book about cicadas.
I feel in heaven, romantic and this wonderful noise while reading a book under a tree is an awesome feeling.
Edmond Schafeitel
Honea Path SC
Message by Edmond Schafeitel — August 14, 2005 @ 8:38 am
Message by Edmond Schafeitel — August 14, 2005 @ 8:53 am
Yesterday I was at a picnic with my family and spotted what seemed to be a large dragonfly buried in the grass dead. So I kind of kicked at it and it started buzzing. Come to find out it was two cicadas apparently mating. Since my daughter was with me and she likes to collect bugs of all sorts, we put it in a container with leaves and twigs and a catipillar that she had found earlier. How rare is it to find them in the grass like that? Port Huron, MI
Message by Todd Taylor — August 14, 2005 @ 7:53 am
[Moderator: that’s a Tibicen, not a Magicicada, but go on…]
For the last few nights I have had the opportunity to observe the behavior of the Magicicada in my back yard. I live in Marlboro, NJ and this year the air is filled with the sound of the percing buzzing calls of the male cicada and the approving clicks of the females.
I have been painting an official size NBA basketball half court on my driveway. My family is anxious for me to finish so I have been painting into the night with two flood lights. The first night I stayed out late painting (till 2:30 AM) I immediately became aware that this was not going to be a normal night in Marlboro. As night fell, the intensity of the buzzing calls increased and the cicada began gathering in the tree above me (a towering 150 year old red maple tree). As I painted, I noticed that fresh leaves from the tree where slowly raining down around me often accompanied by what appeared to be shoots of dead grass, with their tiny dry rootlets attached. The grass appeared to have been coated with a sticky substance and teased so that the roots and leaves looked like they had been curled.
The leaves also appeared to have been altered. Sections of the leaf to the right and left of the mid-line had been removed in a roughly symetrical pattern, often punctuated by holes on either side. The substance coating the leaves had an acrid musky unpleasant smell (at least to me). It also seamed to be tuning the fresh green leaves a yellow to orange to brown color.
As I continued to paint, the cicadas in the tree above me seemed to be agrivated by my presence. They continued to gather above and the raining down of leaves increased, some landing on me directly. When ever I repositioned the flood lights their calls rose in intensity.
Finally, a particularly large cicada flew down out of the tree and aimed itself directly at my head causing me to duck to avoid a collision. I quickly set the light down and darted away from the spot light, and into the dark shadows of my yard, to avoid a second aireal assault by the cicada. The giant insect touched down directly in the spotlight created by the lamp and took up position as close to the light as possible, It was then that I noticed the bright red glowing eyes of this cicada as it peered into the light and beyond it into the night. I quickly learned the rules of this relationship. Don’t touch the light and don’t block the light. If you do, the arial assaults resume. I finally reached an uneasy peace with the cicada. I could slowly move the light, without prompting aggressive behavior from the cicada, if I made sure to keep the insect in the most prominent position under the spotlight.
All kidding aside, the events I recorded here did happen to me in the middle of the night when I entered the cicada’s space under that old tree. On the succeding three nights it took me to finish the basketball court I encountered the same behavior. I feel I have a deeper understanding of these cicada behaviors now although it contradicts the official excepted version of their behavior.
Has anyone out there had a similar experience with cicadas in their area or witnessed any other unusual behaviors by cicadas? If so I’d love to read about them.
Message by Daniel Ross — August 13, 2005 @ 11:35 pm
Here in Albion my brother and I found a cicada under our outdore table umbrella we don’t know why it was there.We had it in a container but we let it go at night when we were done looking at it it was kewl but we were scared to hold it so we looked up on this website if they bite. And it told us they dont but we did’nt want to take a chance of it laying eggs in us so we decided to show our mom and when we did she freaked out so then we showed our step father and he yelled at us for having it so then like I said we let it free and it didn’t fly cuz it was too cold out and it was raining so then we decided to put it back on our umbrella so it didn’t get wet so it could fly away the next morning and we didnt take it abdomin off like dum rejected people do just for their entertainment. have a nice day c ya bye.
Message by Heather — August 11, 2005 @ 5:56 pm
will there be any more big emergences of magicicada near the baltimore area anytime soon? I’m not expecting any news making hatchings near my home but i would like to drive to a close by place with a fairly large brood brood x was huge in martinsberg wv last year for example.
Message by Vince Matson — August 10, 2005 @ 8:58 pm
hi, i am just curious if what i’ve been seeing on my tree in my yard are cicadas!!! I have found several body casingswhich are brown in color and from the middle of the back of the head to the middle of their back or open with embelicalcords or some kind of feeding line inside I saved four that I found because I found them very interesting and was determined to find out what the