CICADAS SEASON IS COMING

Brood X Cicadas will emerge from the ground this year for the first time in 17 years. These chunky, noisy insects with red eyes are expected to emerge in 14 states, including Indiana. While it may seem like a biblical plague of locusts; they are a different species of insects. Their goal is to mate and lay eggs which means it is going to get loud. To attract mates, cicadas use a special structure in their abdomen called a tymbal to produce that loud bussing sound. They are the loudest insect in the United States. Their buzzing can reach as high as 100 decibels which is a similar level to a lawnmower or garbage truck. 

The Lifespan of a Cicada

While the cicadas' 17-year lifespan is one of the longest in the insect world most of it is spent beneath the ground. The nymphs, or young cicadas, spend their time underground feeding on liquid sucked from plant roots. They will shed their exoskeletons in a process called molting five times. The cicadas will wait for the perfect soil temperatures of approximately 64 degrees before emerging from the ground. 

What Should You Do About Cicadas?

While the cicadas are an indicator of a healthy environment, here are a few tips as to how to deal with these noisy visitors:

• Ensure your home's doors and windows have properly fitted screens if you want to keep them open on warm days.
• Cicadas are clumsy flyers and may fly into objects in their path, including you. Consider using an umbrella, wearing a hat, or tying back long hair when spending time outdoors.
• Do your lawn work at dusk or dawn. When the cicadas are less active. Otherwise, they may mistake your lawnmower or weed eater for a potential mate and swarm you.
• Monitor your pets when they are in the yard. Eating the cicada exoskeleton may cause your furry friends to have digestive problems.
• Be on the lookout for the two-inch-long wasps called cicada killers. They are single-minded in their pursuit of killing as many cicadas as possible. 
• Ensure your vehicle's windshield wipers are working properly so you can clean your windshield to prevent a build-up of the cicadas' shells.
  

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