On or about May 21, keep an ear out for a musical return engagement nearly two decades in the making. The Red-eyes are back – that natural summer orchestra of castanets, maracas, and kazoos known as the Periodical Cicadas who only come around every 13 to 17 years.

The largest insect outbreak in 2004 begins in Maryland and 14 other states with the emergence of the adult stage of the Periodical Cicada (Magicicada sp.) – Brood X. Also called the 17-year Locust (a misnomer - locusts are actually in the grasshopper family), this insect requires 13 to 17 years to complete its life cycle.

In May, the young cicadas, called nymphs, emerge from their hiding places underground. Here, they have been quietly feeding off small tree roots and developing through five juvenile stages. After emergence, the nymphs will climb up tree trunks or other vertical objects, shed their hard outer shell, or exoskeleton, and transform into adults. If you are there at the right time, you can observe them clinging to the trunks as their wings fill with fluid and expand to full size. This takes about two hours to complete.

Adult Periodical Cicada

Once the cicadas reach adulthood, they do not spend much time feeding. The males will “sing” in choruses to attract females, usually near the treetops. Here, they will mate. The females will create deep slits in tree bark with an appendage called an ovipositor and deposit eggs in these slits. Adults die soon after mating and laying eggs. After six weeks, the eggs will hatch, the nymphs will fall to the ground, burrow into the soil and the whole process starts all over again. Periodical Cicadas will have completed their appearance in Maryland by the middle of July.

Periodical Cicadas occur only in the eastern half of the United States and are sometimes confused with their annual cousins. The cicadas we hear every year around late July and August are called Annual or Dogday Cicadas. Adult Dogdays, which emerge in smaller numbers, can grow to be 1 ¼ inches long and have a wingspan of up to 3 ¼ inches; their eyes are greenish-black, which go nicely with their black and green body markings. Periodical Cicadas are smaller, only reaching 1 1/8 inches and their eyes are a deep red. Their bodies are blackish brown and may have an orange tinge on the wings and legs.

Each synchronized population is called a brood; this brood behavior provides certain advantages. Primarily, it accounts for a successful continuation of the species. The shear numbers of insects overwhelms potential predators; they can’t possibly eat EVERY one. There is an old fisherman’s saying that it is no use trying to fish in July. The fish are so full from all the cicadas, they won’t come to bait.

Brood behavior does however pose a slight problem for landscapers. Although healthy adult trees are not in danger of serious damage, younger or newly planted seedlings can sustain injury from the female’s ovipositor. Steps can be taken to prevent damage. For example, plantings can be delayed until after the cicada season passes. For existing plantings, lightweight garden cloth or cheese cloth can be used to cover sensitive shrubbery and other small woody ornamentals. Be sure to fasten any cloth securely to the trunk to prevent the adults from slipping through. The nymphs feeding underground do not appear to adversely effect the supporting root system.

Cicadas do not bite or sting people and they are no health threat to people or pets. Their appearance may require some creative improvisation at a June wedding. Some might regard their musical compositions too noisy. Consider them a suggestion to grab a cool drink, sit out on the porch and listen to the reminder that summer is coming, and know that you are witness to one of the wondrous events in our natural world.

For more information on Periodical Cicada life cycles, landscaping tips and photos, visit the
Maryland Department of Agriculture's (MDA) Cicada Webpage. Just click on the button!

Other Cicada Links:

http://www.hgic.umd.edu/pubs/online/hg43.pdf
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/fauna/michigan_cicadas/Periodical/Index.html
http://www.saltthesandbox.org

Photographs of 17-year cicadas courtesy of John White
Photograph of DogDay Cicada Courtesy of Richard Wiegand, Wildlife & Heritage Service

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