The Brood X Cicada Invasion
This article comes to us courtesy of Surrounds Garden Manager, John McLeod.
Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts. There is a noisy invasion coming our way. Actually, they are already here and have been for the past 17 years. These red-eyed creatures have been dwelling right under our feet, literally, waiting for the perfect time to emerge. Yes, it is that time again. Time for the Brood X 17-year cicadas.
From Holes in the Ground
You may have already seen the evidence walking through your garden wondering what caused all those holes to appear overnight. Just in the past week, after feeding on the roots of our trees for the last 17 years, cicada nymphs have tunneled their way back to the surface of the ground. Even though their holes are visible, they have not yet emerged. It will not be long. Only a matter of days and these unique insects will erupt from the ground by the billions.
Strength in Numbers
You may be asking, “Don’t we get cicadas every year?” The answer is yes, we do. During the hottest days of the summer, we have the annual cicadas that emerge. They are noisy too, but fewer in number. So predators keep their numbers at bay. The 17-year cicada has a completely different life cycle. This noisy, little insect only emerges every 17 years. Why 17? That’s a mystery, but it could have something to do with predator population cycles. Their defense against predators is their numbers. They all arise from the ground as one enormous swarm, overwhelming their predators with a more than they can eat buffet.
Raucous and Rowdy in the Treetops
The cicadas will begin to emerge in late April and early May. They will be white or cream colored with those infamous red eyes. Once above ground, they will molt one last time leaving behind their exoskeletons everywhere. At this stage, they are now adults with wings giving them the ability to fly. They are clumsy flyers like bumble bees, but larger. As adults, they are no longer feeding. They have only one purpose at this point–to mate.
When the 17- year cicadas begin to mate, the noise also begins and reaches levels far beyond what you may have heard in past summers. The males fly into the canopies of the trees where they let out their very loud mating call. The sound of their mating call can be so loud it reaches 80 to 100 decibels. The noise will be constant day and night for about four to six weeks.
Damage Control
So, how will the 17-year cicada impact your landscape differently from the annual cicada? As they are beginning to reach the surface of the ground, there may already be damage to your lawn. Predators such as foxes, raccoons, opossums, and even domestic cats and dogs are digging up the lawn as they look for them. The damage can be especially bad in areas with higher populations. The damage to your lawn can be repaired easily and quickly. The damage that is most concerning comes once the cicadas have mated.
Once the female cicadas have mated, they are ready to lay their eggs. They use their saw-like ovipositor to cut slits in the slender stems of trees and shrubs. It is within these slits they lay their eggs. Each female can lay as many as 500 eggs. The small slits in the stems may seem like minor damage and for our mature trees this is mostly true. It is in our smaller, younger trees that the slits can cause irreversible and even lethal damage. The slit causes enough injury to the stem that it kills the stem from the point of the damage out to the tip.
What to Do – Be Proactive
Like most Virginia garden insect pests, the 17-year cicada is a specialist. That means its behavior is predictable–which makes it possible to exercise some control over how it affects the most vulnerable plants in your landscape. The good news is, damage to small trees is preventable. They can be wrapped in netting prior to the cicada mating period. Enclosing the tree in netting prevents the female cicada from accessing the stems. Netting your trees may not be desirable aesthetically, but it can be worth while protecting your trees from severe injury.
Surrounds Garden Management offers tree netting services for trees up to 12 feet in height. If you are interested in a quote to protect your small and young trees, you can contact your garden manager. We will begin netting trees during the first week of May. The most critical time period for protection will likely be from mid-May to mid-June.
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