Cicadas: What's all the Buzz about? Part Trois

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

The Mrs. and I heard just a few 'whispers' of cicadas for a few days now, but I think the Cicadas...besides being the 'Sound of Summer' for some (we like them), can be the noise & clean-up nightmare of discarded shells for others within my parish (county), of Beauregard, Louisiana.

By Ted Rodgers - Pest Gnome - February 2, 2024

The Coming Cicada Apocalypse of 2024

"2024 will be a banner year for cicadas (and homeowners desperate to get rid of cicadas). We’ll tell you about the looming two-pronged massive cicada invasion and what you can do now to limit damage to your lawn and protect your trees.

First, a little about cicadas and why this is shaping up to be a whopper of a year.

There are two types of cicadas in the world, one that emerges every 17 years and another that emerges every 13 years. In 2024, BOTH (Broods XIII & XIX), Broods are coming up from the ground, the first time that is happening in 221 (yes, that's right...221) years.

What this means: There will be billions [yes...billions] of cicadas in this invasion. We’ll detail what you should do right now.

Oh, and we’ll even cover how you can eat cicadas — yes, that’s a thing. These chattering insects are a great source of protein.

The forecast

This year we will see swarms of Magicicada – the name doesn’t mean they’re magic, nor are they like the Wise Men of the Magi following a yonder star. Magicidada simply refers to the taxonomic genus within the family cicadidae.

Here are the details and maps showing the areas that will see the biggest invasions.

In 2024, Brood XIX (Magicicada neotredecim and Magicicada tredecim), a 13-year species of cicadas, will emerge in;

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia

Also in 2024, Brood XIII (Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecula), a 17-year species, will emerge in;

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Michigan
• Wisconsin

Pro Tip: The 2024 cicadas will emerge after leaves appear on the trees. Think late spring.

How to Limit Damage from Cicadas:

You can’t prevent cicadas from coming, but you can limit the damage to your yard and your hearing.

• Invest in earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. Cicadas are not quiet insects and will even put airplanes to shame.
• Cover pools and hot tubs. Cicadas tend to fly into them and can clog the drain.
• Do yard work in the early morning or at dusk, when cicadas are less active. Why? The vibrations from your lawn equipment can attract cicadas. Cicadas come up for mating season and the males make their sounds through vibrations. You may be making a date without knowing it.
• Wear a hat when working under trees or in your yard. Cicadas like to pee after filling up on tree sap.

How to Protect Your Trees:

• Spray often with a strong hose.
• Wrap smaller trees with netting that has openings of less than ¼ inch.

Cicadas won’t eat the leaves of trees, but they will damage them:

1. Female cicadas cut slits into the bark to lay their eggs.
2. The eggs hatch.
3. The nymphs drop to the ground.
4. The nymphs bury themselves until they find a tree root.
5. The cicada nymphs attach themselves to the root.
6. The nymphs suck out the sap and juices.

Trees at Risk:

• Apple
• Ash
• Cherry
• Chestnut
• Dogwood
• Elm
• Hickory
• Maple
• Oak
• Peach
• Pear

Pro Tip: Fruit trees, nursery trees, and trees recently transplanted are at the greatest risk.

How to Get Rid of Cicadas (or Tolerate or Eat Them) [yuk ]

How to get rid of cicadas

That’s not easy.

Don’t try to get rid of cicadas by using insecticides, the EPA says. You’re wasting your time and money. Here’s why:

• So many cicadas emerge at a time that as soon as one group dies another emerges.
• Insecticides might blow back into your face.
• Insecticides might blow off into the face of your child, other family members, or neighbors.
• Pets are always at risk when you use insecticides.

So what can you do to get rid of cicadas

Maybe you don’t need to get rid of them. Maybe you can tolerate the buzz and invasion for a month.

Cicadas don’t live long. Maybe four weeks.

Read More: Cicadas 2024: Broods XIII & XIX

"The sidewalks were haunted by [cicada shells] all night as the furnace wind summoned them up, swung them about, and gentled them down in a warm spice on the lawns". Ray Bradbury

 

[DrStrange]

On Long Island NY, there are so many annual cicadas
that the big hatches from the longer period species
are not noticeable.

At the end of the season, ants will clean up whichever corpses remain,
leaving only the wings.

When I was a child, I always wanted to collect the discarded wings
and make something out of them, but I never did.

 

[abies]

I don't have a lot to add but I have to say I'm someone who loves cicadas. It's part of the summer for me.

I always feel a little bad when I find their bodies, like it should still be in the tree making sounds.

 

[Ad Astra]

Fascinating read, thanks. Lot of effort went into making that post, I know... Thanks @The Count of Merkur Cristo

AA

 

[Lightcs1776]

Great write-up. I happen to love the sound of cicadas. They remind me of wonderful trips down south.

 

[borwish]

The last time it wasn't that bad here, but the previous time was almost biblical.

It almost makes me want to get some chickens just so I can watch the feast again.

 

[Alum Ladd]

When I was a child, I always wanted to collect the discarded wings
and make something out of them, but I never did.

I find that sentence very poignant and familar.

The past, and things you never do, and maybe regret not doing.

Maybe my emotions are on high-gain today, but that moistened my eyes.

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Fascinating read, thanks. Lot of effort went into making that post, I know... Thanks @The Count of Merkur Cristo

AA

Great write-up. I happen to love the sound of cicadas. They remind me of wonderful trips down south.

AA & Chris:
Awwww...shucks...it was 'nothin'.

BTW...thanks guys.

"Do you know the legend about cicadas? They say they are the souls of [natures bounty] who cannot keep quiet...[...]". John Berger

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Here are the details and maps showing the areas that will see the biggest invasions. [

]

[...]

"A summer light, the smell of a breeze and the sound of the cicadas. Priceless!" CBJ

...the addition (in Red), of naval 'resources' (Operation Can You Hear Me?), above is to quickly 'bring-in' high-tech ear protection for all those who apply during this dual 'Brood-Apocalypse' .

 

[blethenstrom]

I remember riding my motorcycle into a swarm of cicadas during one of the broods. That was not fun. At least I had a full face helmet. Looks like I am in the middle of the area for Brood XIX for this year. It is going to be a loud summer. I just hope my small trees in the yard will survive.

 

[Ad Astra]

Haiku time:

Cicadas shrieking ...
Horrible insect presence!
Wish they ate red ants.

AA

 

[Eric_75]

It's almost Cicada taco time, gents.

 

[DrStrange]

Holy Guacamole, Batman!

It's almost Cicada taco time, gents.

View attachment 1824642

Holy Guacamole, Batman!

Is that a wild geranium in the flower pot?

 

[NorthernSoul]

It's almost Cicada taco time, gents.

View attachment 1824642

I was thinking you boil and peel them, like shrimp. I don't have any intention of finding out, though.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

[...]What this means: There will be billions [yes...billions...opps...scratch that...'trillions'

] of cicadas in this ['Cicada-geddon'] [...].

...correction in Red above.

"Do you know the legend about cicadas? They say they are the souls of [natures bounty] who cannot keep quiet...[...]". John Berger

 

[Toothpick]

Should be interesting while out on the motorcycle.

 

[DrStrange]

Should be interesting while out on the motorcycle.

Cicadas don't swarm in the air.

It's not like riding through cattle country in Florida.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

...and for the culinary and/or just curious...yes...cicadas are edible.

Disclaimer: I, for one do not advocate / advise eating cicadas for those w/ sensitive constitutions.

By Jim Warner - Retired Chef, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center - 2 Apr 24

"Looking for something unusual to wow — or gross out — family and friends at your next backyard barbecue?

How about cooking up some earthy, crunchy cicadas?

When broods of cicadas emerge from on their 17-year cycles, it can be a unique opportunity to try an unusual, low-fat
protein source.

Why would anyone want to eat cicadas

Some things crossed my mind when I started writing this:

1. “Wow, this is a great chance to eat something really exotic.”
2. “What the heck am I thinking?”

Narrowing of the mind, widening of the waist. I consider cicadas an occasional gifts from the food gods, along with morels, asparagus and ramps.

As a kid growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, I remember the sounds of the “locusts,” as we called them, as we were riding our bikes, building forts in the woods or hanging out at the swimming hole. It was the sound of summer.

We’d take the empty cicada shells and scare my friend’s younger sister by putting them in her hair, or just showing her one in our hand. She’d run away screaming. (I still feel kind of bad about that.)

My first experience with eating what I’ll call my “gateway bug” was a gift of spicy crickets from a couple of our chefs at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

I thought they were great, but I had to add them to some salty snack mix. As I grew used to the flavor and idea of eating bugs, I soon was able to proudly pop a handful of crickets into my mouth for a quick protein-packed snack.

Cicadas and many other insects such as ants, crickets and grasshoppers are great sources of protein, hugely abundant and earth friendly.

Insects have been delicacies for many cultures for thousands of years. Even today, some people enjoy the guilty pleasure of chocolate-dipped bugs, eating them just like chocolate-covered pretzels.

Cicada Scampi w/ Pasta

How to catch cicadas for cooking;🫴

Your best bet is to find a wooded area away from older homes to lessen the chances for potential lead absorption from chipped paint. Steer clear of well-manicured yards due to the potential for lawn chemicals and other contaminants the cicadas may have absorbed.

Cicadas are at their most tender just out of the shell. The tough exoskeleton is not very tasty. Watch them climb up a tree and begin to molt from their outer shell. When they’re out of their shell, gently grab the soft bodies, blanch them in boiling water for one minute, then put them into a zip-lock bag and place them in the freezer before preparing them to cook.

If you fancy soft shell crabs, which are Atlantic Blue crabs that have just molted their old shell, then you may enjoy a cicada stir fry. Cicadas are related to shrimp, crayfish, lobsters, and other arthropods, so if you’ve ever eaten those, you’re just one step away from trying cicadas.

What do cicadas taste like

I’m tempted to say they taste just like chicken, but they do have a nutty flavor and a nice crunch when sautéed in olive oil with a few seasonings tossed in for good measure. Old Bay seasoning is always a winner. However, I’m not so sure you can eat them without accompaniments.

Go ahead and sauté them for a minute or two and top a nice dish of leafy greens with some crispy cicadas.

But please don’t use ranch dressing. After all, they’ve been waiting 17 years for this big dance, and you shouldn’t humiliate them one last time.

A bit of extra virgin olive oil, some fresh lemon juice and a few cracks of black pepper will do just fine.

Are there really cookbooks devoted to cicadas recipes?

Believe it or not, yes. "Cooking with Cicadas" by R. Scott Frothingham includes gourmet recipes and explains how to prepare cicadas for snacks, meals and desserts.

This cookbook features a variety of recipes from Italian and Moroccan to Asian and Mexican with enticing names including Cicada Frittata, Pasta a la Cicada, Cicada Curry, Cicada Tacos, Cicada Pad Thai and Caramel Cicada Crunch.

Cicada Tacos

University of Maryland graduate school student Jenna Jadin published "Cicada-Licious: Cooking and Enjoying Periodical Cicadas" in 2004. Her book starts with a disclaimer to first consult with your doctor before eating cicadas, particularly for potential allergic reactions to substances within the cicadas.

People in many countries today consume cicadas, from Thailand to Mexico to northern African regions.

Bug love has even made it to the great American pastime: a fresh cup of cooked insects is now available for $4 at a Major League Baseball concession stand. ️

According to ESPN, the Seattle Mariners are selling toasted gluten-free grasshoppers tossed in chili-lime salt".

My suggestion for those first-timer cicada connoisseurs is to go slowly, have a friend nearby for support, spice ‘em up and enjoy.

Otherwise, you’ll have to wait 17 more years before you can try eating something this exotic again".

Read More w/ Recipe: Cooking w/ Cicadas

"You make-a-me-crazy you cicadas be shady". The Gospel of Cicadas

 

[Tirvine]

Although not in the targeted zone, Texas has no shortage of cicadas. I understand why some people pleasantly associate them with summer. Since our summer is six months long with plenty of hot days during the other six, the association is less pleasant. We always have cicada shells lying around.

 

[DrStrange]

Although not in the targeted zone, Texas has no shortage of cicadas. I understand why some people pleasantly associate them with summer. Since our summer is six months long with plenty of hot days during the other six, the association is less pleasant. We always have cicada shells lying around.

No cicadas here, just a Texas clang association.

When I was a sailor on my way from Orlando to San Diego,
In 1980, I got three speeding tickets in between Marathon and Marfa, in two hours.
74 mph
The first cop radioed the judge in the next town and told him to expect me in ten minutes.
That cost somewhere around fifty bucks.
65 mph
The second cop gave me a written warning.
74 mph
They escorted me to a post office and witnessed me posting a twenty dollar bill for bail.
It was late but the lobby was open.

In both of the 74 mph cases,
I was going much faster, but there was less paper work involved that way.

I was on a Yamaha 650 Special.
At one point I was very cold and I pulled over and started a fire.
The wind was gusting and it blew up the fire bigger and bigger
and then a really big gust blew it out.

It took me three days to cross Texas.
When I got to New Mexico, it started raining.
When I got to Arizona, it stopped.