17-year periodical cicadas are beginning to emerge from the ground in the Chicago area, and several locations are already reporting sightings.
“The periodical cicadas have been emerging for the last week and a half,” Stephanie Adams, a plant pathologist at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, said last week of Brood XIII, which will soon spread throughout the Chicago area. “We found them both here in our landscape and also in our eastern woods.”
And that’s not the only brood of cicadas emerging in Illinois this year. Thirteen-year periodical cicadas, from Brood XIX, will also emerge in Illinois, with some parts of the state seeing both broods at once.
According to experts, these broods will emerge in mid-May and June, with a lifespan of approximately four to six weeks.
But it does not stop there.
Later in the season, Illinois’ annual “Dog Day” cicadas will also come out.
“Not only do we get cicadas every 17 years,” said Allen Lawrance, associate curator of entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. “We get them every year. They’re our annual cicadas. They’re bigger and greener.”
There are other differences between Illinois periodical cicadas and annual cicadas, Lawrance said.
“Periodic cicadas are smaller than our annual cicadas,” Lawrance said. “You can see their bodies are a little thinner, a little more cylindrical.”
Lawrance noted that annual cicadas, which emerge each summer in Illinois, are more “robust” and generally noisier than periodical cicadas. But there is power in numbers, Lawrance said.
“(Periodical cicadas) are not as loud individually, but because there are so many more of them, their song is louder overall,” Lawrance said, as billions of periodicals from Broods XIII and XIX are expected in the Illinois.
Illinois’ annual cicadas can be expected to emerge in July, August and September, according to a University of Illinois Extension article.
“It typically takes 2 to 5 years to complete their development and their generations overlap and are not synchronized,” the article states. On the other hand, periodical cicadas take 13 or 17 years to complete their development from egg to adult, and they emerge en masse in spring. »
While periodical cicadas begin to emerge once soil temperatures reach 64 degrees, “dog day” cicadas emerge from the ground “during the heat of summer, or during the dog days of summer.” , explains the article.
The periodical cicadas will be gone by the time the annual cicadas appear, Lawrance said. Yet in Illinois, this spring and summer could look like cicada season.
“There’s really no way to escape them,” Lawrance said, especially on and around trees, where “heaps” of cicada shells are expected after the insects feast on the liquid from the branches and woody shrubs.
“You’re just going to see them flying around, hanging out in the trees,” Lawrance said. “And you will hear them wherever you go.”
Are cicadas harmful?
According to Lawrance, what characterizes a brood of cicadas is the year they emerge. Some are noisier than others, but one brood is not more harmful, dangerous or aggressive than another.
Brood XIII will emerge “all over northern Illinois,” while Brood XIX will be present in the southern part of the state, Lawrance said, with some parts of the state seeing both. And while Chicago’s Brood area may be noisier, it won’t cause much damage, Lawrance said.
Although the full emergence of Illinois cicadas over 17 years is not yet here, several have begun to appear in the Chicago area, and more are on the way – periodicals and annuals.
“There’s really no harm to them,” Lawrance said. “These cicadas – their life strategy is: anything can eat them and enough will survive. They have no defensive behavior, so they won’t even fly away when you approach them. just stay put and hang out. They are really relaxed.
Are cicadas safe for pets?
Cicadas do not bite or sting, nor are they toxic to pets, the Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control said in a recent news release. They are not known to carry disease, so interactions are generally safe, the statement added.
“However, the noise, size and movements of cicadas may startle some pets,” officials said. “If a pet appears scared, owners should try directing it to an area with fewer cicadas, such as a comfortable, quiet place inside the home to relax.”
Insect consumption should also be monitored, the alert states.
“Although cicadas are not toxic to pets, gastrointestinal upset may occur if a pet consumes too many cicadas or their discarded ‘shells’ (exoskeletons),” the alert states. “Intestinal obstruction or perforation could occur as the exoskeletons move through the gastrointestinal tract, particularly if a small animal consumes many cicadas over a short period of time.
Owners will want to watch for vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or excessive drooling and consult a veterinarian if their pet exhibits these symptoms.
Will cicadas eat my plants, garden or trees?
Cicadas could cause damage to some young trees, experts say.
“The leaves at the end of the twig may turn brown and hang down,” Lawrance said. “This discoloration will not cause any serious harm to the health of the tree unless it is a very young tree planted in orchards.”
A message from the city of Lake Forest advised residents planting young trees this spring to cover them with netting. They added that the use of contact insecticides is not recommended, as the insects are beneficial.
In general, cicadas are “unpeculiar” – meaning they use a variety of trees and shrubs as hosts – they are known to lay their eggs in favored plants.
“Although most cicadas are considered generalists, with a wide range of host plants, they have preferences like all living creatures,” states an article in the Morton Arboretum.
According to the Arboretum, cicadas “tend to not prefer” plants whose sap or gum might prevent eggs from hatching. Some of these trees include conifers like pine, spruce and fir. These trees may also include cherry, peach, plum or persimmon, the Arboretum said.
Although not picky, the insects are known to lay eggs in certain trees, the Arboretum said, including oak, maple, hickory, apple, birch, dogwood, basswood, willow , elm, ginkgo and pear.
“Cicadas can also lay eggs in certain shrubs, such as rose bushes, lilacs and forsythia,” the Arboretum said.
Arboretum records show that during the emergence 17 years ago, some of the plants most affected by the emergence were maples, cherries, ashes, hawthorns, willows, mountain ash, oaks , pear trees, rose bushes, privet, poplars, saskatoon berries and beeches.
Can you limit the number of cicadas in your garden?
Frank Meek, technical services manager for pest control company Orkin, said NBC Chicago exterminators generally don’t treat cicadas because they don’t pose a threat to humans, animals or property.
Additionally, chemical treatments are generally ineffective against cicadas due to their short lifespan, Meek added.
“Cicadas are an important part of the food chain and serve as meals for birds, moles, raccoons and some frogs,” Meek said. “It is important that humans leave cicadas alone so that other animals can benefit from this food source.”
Cicadas are not considered pests, Meek said. But they are known to enter homes without being invited.
“Cicadas fly strong but clumsily and can accidentally fly into homes if windows and doors are left open,” Meek said. “However, because cicadas cannot breed indoors, an indoor infestation cannot occur.”
According to Meek, cicadas found in yards and gardens can be “gently” removed by hand. And while Orkin doesn’t advise treating cicadas around homes, there is an extra layer of defense homeowners can adopt to keep cicadas away, the company says.
“Homeowners can also prevent cicadas from taking up residence in their trees and bushes by wrapping the base in foil or duct tape,” Meek said. “This prevents cicadas from climbing the tree or bush to feed or lay eggs.”
Still, experts say, it may not be worth it. After all, there will be billions of them.
“You certainly shouldn’t try to keep them out of an area that has billions in it,” Lawrance said.
Which areas will see the most?
According to Lawrance, the distribution of cicadas will be uneven.
“Not every neighborhood is going to be as dense as others,” he said. “One area might be slightly quieter and you’ll hear them in the distance. And then you go to the next neighborhood, and it’s jumping, and they’re everywhere.”
There is, however, one determining factor: if they were there before, they will be there again.
“So the neighborhoods you expect to find them in will depend on where they were the last time they appeared,” Lawrance said. “If the ground had been completely dug up and replaced because of construction, there might be fewer cicadas. But if they were there last time, there’s a good chance they would still be there.”
It will be the same for the next 17 years – or just next summer.
“There is no way to stop them”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, pesticides are “generally ineffective in repelling cicadas.”
“So many cicadas emerge at the same time that others will inevitably move in,” the agency said. “Spraying also doesn’t make sense because cicadas are generally harmless. Applying pesticides to control cicadas can harm other organisms, including animals that eat cicadas.”
With such large numbers, there will be nowhere to go in June, Lawrance stressed.
“There’s no way to stop them. They’re here. It’s temporary, and there’s really no way to escape them.”
NBC Chicago
