Community Corner

Connecticut Will Be Abuzz When 17-Year Cicadas Emerge in June

Associate Professor of Biology at Wesleyan University Michael Singer says the emergence of Magicicada this June will hover on the nuisance level — especially for those in developments that were forested two decades ago.

Tis article was posted by Megan Bard. It was reported and written by Pem McNerney and Cassandra Day.

Have you heard about Brood II?

At first, it sounds like something out of a horror film. Millions of small beings with red eyes, shiny black bodies, and mouthparts that pierce and suck, emerge from the ground after 17 years, with a voracious appetite. 

But, no worries, say the experts.

While the Magicicada, a periodical cicada indigenous to eastern North America, may prove to be a pest, and a problem for trees, they are no threat to humans. They are mainly just looking for love. After finding that special someone, the cicadas will mate, the eggs will be laid and the adults will die off. And the little ones will start their 17-year period of growth.

Associate Professor of Biology at Wesleyan University Michael Singer says Connecticut has not seen the emergency of this particular brood of cicada since 1996.

And since these cicadas are much different than those we here in Middletown — and around the East Coast — hear during the "dog days of summer," Singer says, expect that telltale buzz — when each is signaling a mate — to be slightly different.

"Because there's so many of them in a point in time, it's a lot louder. It can be really loud in a forest when you have an emergency of periodical cicadas." 

It's not exactly clear what part of Connecticut will be affected and when, but research scientist and cicada expert John R. Cooley with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at The University of Connecticut, says the data suggests the cicadas in Connecticut may emerge from the traprock ridges in the central part of the state, as well as along the coast.

"Dates are always iffy, especially with this strange dry spring, but my guess would be late May at the earliest, and on into June. The trees must be fully leafed out," Cooley said. 

It will be pretty much a nuisance thing when the adults come out" after feasting on tree roots below ground for so long, Singer says. "This kind of damage, it turns out, is not too serious to trees — it turns the tips of tree branches and their leaves pale."
"This often gets peeople worried that their trees are dying," Singer says. "In fact, it's been shown that trees tend to recover pretty well from that. The most damage cicadas do to trees is when they feed on their roots during the underground part of the life cycle." 

An interesting point this year, Singer says, is that many portions of cities like Middletown that may have been forested 17 years ago will see large concentrations of these insects emerging from their nearly two-decade-long slumber — where they've been feasting on the roots of trees common here like oak, beech and maple.

"if you had a place where, 17 years ago, there was a forest — by now residential but there are some trees left — you could get them coming up there," Singer says. "With development the way it’s been over the last couple of decades, that’s likely to happen."

Cooley said those who are interested can track the progress of the emergence on www.magicicada.org. "We are encouraging people to report their sightings to the website as well," he said. 

Cooley said homeowners should resist the urge to blast any cicada emergence with pesticide. "The bottom line is, don't worry about them, they don't really do any harm, and don't try to spray them — you will do more harm than good. If you have delicate plants (fruit trees, ornamentals, etc.), then your best strategy is to wrap them with avian netting (sold at nursery supply houses)," he said.

Here are some interesting cicada facts from cicadamania.com

  • Once they emerge, you should use your power tools with caution. "Cicadas think the sounds made by power tools and lawn maintenance equipment are made by cicadas. They get confused and will land on the people using the equipment!" Ewww ... 
  • They are loud. "Males have organs on their abdomen called tymbals. Muscles pop the tymbals in and out, which creates the sound we hear." 
  • Animals eat them. "Dogs will gorge themselves until they choke. Squirrels will eat them like corn on the cob. Wild turkeys will grow fat and juicy on the cicada feast. Fish go crazy for them too — you can use them as bait, or use lures that mimic them."
  • People, some people, eat them too. "You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it." If you have a shellfish allergy, you shouldn't eat them. And, even if you don't, eat with caution. Make sure you don't choke on the hard bodies and rigid wings. A Cicada Cookbook is included as a PDF with this article. If the download does not work, you can use this link.
Got any good cicada recipes? Let us know in the comment section below. 


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