A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 cicada's

O!O! my there'll coming May 21,2004 and I don't want them here at all but someone told me?If you pull both of there wings at the same time there head will pop off? Isn't that nice to know and yes I have seen this one man at work place a bet that he would eat one?Well, he did all of the workers saw him do it. Wasn't that nice to know too? Well, better get going or you will all chase me away bye

Hey Lady!!!!!!!

We're planning a cicada olympics. So far we've come up with cicada badminton. We'll never run out of birdies! Any other suggestions?

Yesterday while gardening I told my 4 year old grandson about the cicadas. He collects worms, grubs...anything alive he finds when we are working, so I figured he would be excited about the cicadas.
When I told him that I had read here that if you pull both wings at the same time their head would pop off, he got pretty excited. First question was: How far does it go?????
So, as soon as they arrive I'll be sure to post the average length a cicadas head flies when you pull it's wings!
Enquiring (4 year old) minds want to know!!!

Oh boy Cindy...now you & your grandson have my 7 yr. old daughter going lol:) She wants to pop the heads off a few cicadas & compare flight paths with your grandson

Ughh, not looking forward to them at all.....the worst think is the sound they make that never seems to go away.......I'll be very happy when they disappear for anothe 17 years.

EWWWWWWWW EWWWWWWWW EWWWWWWWW!!!

I CANNOT STAND THEM!
THE NOISE!
THE CREEPY SHELLS EVERYWHERE!!!

the thought of touching them to get their heads to pop!!!

EWWWWWWWW EWWWWWWWW EWWWWWWWW!!!

Hey,

I'd much rather the cicadas than the expletive deletive monsters I had last year - - was thoroughly inundated with grasshopper/locusts. Was told - after they were just about gone (maybe they were gone?) that they burrow through the earth from the Nevada Test Site (yup - the nuclear test site from the 40's to the 90s and still an active source of employment) and come up where the ground has been "broken". Had more of them last year than in any prior year - - infact, I think I had more of them last year than in the previous 6 years combined.

Jon

I hear you, Jon.

Cicadas don't do much damage, other than to young tree saplings and the offense to one's ears. But those grasshopper locusts! Yech! I remember being in Missouri one year when they swarmed. I walked across a meadow and they parted like crackly yellow waves before my feet. Plus, they spit tar. I think I prefer cicadas.

But I did buy a badminton set this weekend...

Excuse my cicada ignorance! We had those creepy things last year.... You mean we are going to have MORE of those things around this year? They were all over the place last year.

Also, do they hibernate in the ground? I was gardening around a tree and i think i dug one up....

yuk!

barb

Cicadas do hibernate in the ground. I thought they only came out of hiding every 17 years...I guess you got some early risers last year:)

Hmm....yes, cicadas....

All those wonderful left behind shells....wondering if we could think up some super craft project...hmm....how about cicadas dipped in paint and hung over flower pots for a special *fun* look? Or glued together for a friendship necklace?

------------------->off to the craft section

The time is close....I noticed in the dirt today about 30 dime sized holes a sure sign the cicada's are coming out. YIKES. To answer someone's question they do come every year but the 13th year is bad...the 17th years is collosal. A BILLION CICADA's per Acre. Got this from the WashingtonPost. The sound of one cicada can be as loud as a lawn mower. I'm freaking out. My family is coming on vacation to Shenandoah national park. There will be tranquility but no peace. They are ugly looking beasts... Affect the mid atlantic primarily.

I repeat myself...

:p EWWWWWWW EWWWWWWW EWWWWWWW!

I also noticed the holes this week in my front garden that lines the driveway from the mailbox down. I was hoping it was from something more innocent!

They seem to be worse at my parents' house each year when I plant their rock garden for mother's day. Tons of those lovely shells all over the crab apple tree that's in the middle of this garden

I read about this. Apparently its going to be around Indiana, and east coast USA. What happens is that every 17 years, this brood of cicada's (Brood X in this case) crawls out of the ground to feed, and mate. After they've all done so, they lay their eggs in the ground, and die. The larva hang out in the ground for 17 years, and the cycle repeats. This is supposed to be the biggest brood in recorded history though. Last time it happened, in Washington, they were so loud that you couldn't hear the person next to you yelling!

But ya, i think they're icky too >.< Either way, they'll die out within 3 months of their arrival, and everything'll be bck to normal ^.^ Birds will be pretty fat too lol.

~Phoebe

What about our pets? Do we need to worry about them with the cicadas???

Dawn in Ohio waiting on the onslaught of the little buggers.

You shouldn't have to worry about your pets. They eat roots, and plants and tree bark and stuff like that. So if anything, worry about your garden. Also, make sure you know where your pets are, cuz if you have a dog, and one hops in front of it, and its the kinda dog that chases after thins that move fast, then well, ya lol. Just worry about your dog running off and stuff. Other than that, nothing to worry about except our gardens, and trees n stuff.

~Phoebs

I can't stand repetitive noise....so this will really drive me nuts.....droning on and on.....

I also noticed holes in my yard the past few days.....from what I read it should be any day now.....middle of may.....

My dad brought over our local paper that had an article in there about how you could eat them, and that they tasted like chicken.....lol Disgusting!!!! They can stay outside, and I know they are big, but if any squeeze their way into my house I'll freak out......Sagitarius was telling me the other day that they are blind and will fly in your hair and face because they can't see......Aghhhhhhhh!!!! I will be wearing a lot of ball caps this summer I think. I think the paper says they are only supposed to be really bad for a month then they disappear.

For some really informative information -try this site check out the map and the cycle of the brooods. http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/Michigan_Cicadas/Michigan/Index.html
I am lucky in that northern Ohio will not get hit big time. Scared me though - planted a lot of new tree's and bushes - which those little buggers love to ruin.

I remember them well. They're really not so bad. They're just big, stupid bugs bumbling around trying to make hay while the sun shines, and it only shines for them for a month. They don't do much damage, only to saplings, which they tend to overprune, if you will.

I haven't seen any here, yet, but the paper says they're around. I think I've seen some of their holes, though. They're really kind of pretty in an odd way, and kids love the anarchy they provide. But if you don't have screens for your windows, now's the time to invest in some. They're too big to creep in most cracks, and if they do get inside, they are slow and easy to catch and escort outside.

Maybe i could feed one to my flytrap ^.^ well a really small one anyway lol. According to the site, they won't be appearing here in NH. Sooooooooo ya that's good i guess ^.^ Though i was hoping to see some stuff. ^.^ oh well, more outdoor time for my plants

~Phoebe

THE CICADAS ARE COMING!!!!

I am noticing a LOT of holes in my yard!!

Apparently there is a website cicadamania.com
that my radio show gave listeners..haven't been there, but someone might be interested

SPOOKY!!!


(Cool website! I checked it out! They even have cicada t-shirts, etc.!)

My dad spotted 3 of them last night at the paper mill(only 2 mins away).....they almost hit him in the face, he had to duck.....they are the first ones I've heard of anyone spotting around here.....they'll be out in full force any min. now..... I need a big net to wear over my head in the garden!!!! I WILL not be happy if they fly in my hair--it's long, and they'd get caught in it......ugh......

I don't want them to eat my plants.

I haven`t seen any in my woods yet, but they have been out for a few days in a neighborhood north of us.

I don`t want them to eat my plants either!!

If they eat my plants and trees I'd cry.... I think small, new trees are the ones that are usually damaged......If they take out my crimson king maples I'll take them all out...... My dad just bought a new apple tree and he had to wrap the trunk up with something because I believe they feed off of something within the tree trunks....

The don't eat plants, they are only concerned with making whoopie. The damage they do to trees is minimal and is usually re-grown quickly. This is done when the female makes a tiny slice in a twig to lay her eggs in. Most established trees don't mind this, as it is a very light pruning of a couple of inches at the end of a twig, but very yound saplings can suffer. If you're worried about your very young trees, you can wrap them in netting. I have several saplings i bought this year, but I have decided to let nature take it's course.

I haven't read this entire thread, but I did see that at the top someone said that someone at work ate one. They are etible and supposedly taste like asparagus! But be careful!! If you are allergic to shell fish, you may be allergic to cicadas!!!!

We don't have them yet, but today on the news they were in a town that has them EVERYWHERE. It was soo nasty!! I think Stephen is a little excited for them because he's never seen them....I am NOT looking forward to them. The sound they make creeps me out....sounds like a UFO has landed (according to some guy on the news today).

http://community.webshots.com/user/jjneenee
I hjave some pictures fo them here, so you can see how many!!! It is gross, and in the afternoon when it's warm, the sound of them is unbearable sometimes. You have to shut your windows! The neighbor girls have been carrying around there cicada bucket for a few weeks, and when they come over to my house ( every night-heheheeh) they drag it along. There is a contest on a radio station for the largest cicada!!! We have found some doozies! It's funny to see them name all there lil friends. Let's see, the ones I can remember from last night.....pointy dude, bob, fat dude, orange dude, and chubby guy!! They are funny. Anyhow, it's hard for me to get a close up picture of them but they are everywhere!!!!!!

Bess, I remember now seeing all the slits on our trees after the last invasion and how that is where they lay their eggs.

OK My question is if they lay their eggs up in the tree branches how do they get down into the ground. Do larva crawl down from the tree?

Or is there another completely differant bug that is making all the holes in the ground?

I just found this from the link up above

"After mating, females lay eggs in bark or twigs; the eggs hatch later in the season and the new nymphs burrow underground and begin feeding on roots."

Any pictures of the nymphs. If there are so many locusts wouldn`t we see tons of nymphs too?

omg Renee!
I'd be totally creeped out! >.o i'm not afraid of bugs alone, but when there's that many in one spot... *shivverz* I'm glad i live in my nice quiet, cold area of the country lol.

Wouldn't the shells make some good compost!!!!

We haven't had ANY, here. It's actually a little bit dissappointing.
On our way back from Chincoteague Island last week, we ran into bands of them around the Washington D.C. beltway. Even with the car windows up and the AC on, we could hear them whirring. We went through areas where they crashed into the windshield and roared in the trees, then nothing for a few miles, then another thick area. It was fascinating.

This is not treu statement, its head will not pop-off and its harmless insect, you just need to watch out for Cicada Larvae which can realy damage roots of your plants.

I see a lot of miss-conception about Cicada, which is harmful insect with lots of noise. The only problem you may have while gardening is when Cicada at a stage of Larvae, then it will eat plant's roots and you need to take care of your garden with some chemicals.

I haven't seen any live cicadas here in my town. But in my yard, I've found parts of them. :p

They were all over the place at the parking area for Dulles Airport tho. Wow. And LOUD.

Meg

Up until a week ago I didn't really see any around my house at all....just one. Although they have been really bad a few miles away for weeks. Now they are all over my yard.....even the birds are sick of them...they fly right by the birds without getting eaten now.......

And just so you all know I've made peace with the cicadas.....I'm not scared at all anymore.....you can't be when they are around so much. Doesn't mean I'll be holding them anytime soon like my husband does......oh yes, he'll chase me around with them......just because I'm not scared doesn't mean I want them landing on me.....lol