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How To Get Rid of Brood X Cicadas
When the alarm sounds that Brood X cicadas are about to emerge, questions flood in from residents wondering how to get rid of them. Brood X cicadas are one of nature’s insect species with such unique lifestyles that prevent them from being completely exterminated with traditional pest control methods. That news can be a bummer, but Brood X cicadas are not dangerous. It’s the mass population that emerges, along with their intense need to be heard, which deeply annoys some people. Brood X cicadas have the potential to create significant damage to plants and gardens if you happen to be a gardener or a plant enthusiast. If you are searching for ways to eliminate Brood X cicadas this season there are some helpful tips available. There are even natural predators who specifically hunt and feed on cicadas. Before moving forward with tips on how to get rid of Brood X cicadas, let’s learn more about them.
Cicadas vs Locusts
Many people mistake cicadas for locusts, another type of destructive pest. However, they are two distinct insects. There are several differences in locusts and what you will see in your New Jersey backyard.
By viewing a locust next to a cicada you will notice their distinct differences. Locusts are a type of grasshopper with stubby antennae, and they can jump or fly. These hoppers prefer warm and arid climates. They aren’t social insects unless abnormally wet weather causes them to swarm.
Locusts place a bigger risk of destruction on vegetation than Brood X cicadas. Like the Brood X cicada, locusts do not sting, bite, or carry diseases, so they are not physically dangerous to animals or people, but their swarms can cause significant damage to plants. Locusts feed on fruit, leaves, and soft stems and can consume millions of pounds of plants in a day. When locusts swarm, it truly is a sight to see, as they can cover hundreds of miles, wreaking havoc on plants along the way.
Brood X Cicadas
Fortunately, you may see only 10–12 cicada seasons in your lifetime. The reason is that certain species only hatch and swarm every so many years. Brood X appears every 17 years. The last plague of them was in 2021 and the one before that was back in 2004.This shouldn’t stop people from trying to learn how to get rid of Brood X cicadas.
The insect group known as “true bugs” includes cicadas which share closer genetic ties with beetles than with locusts. The destruction cicadas cause to trees, crops and other plants matches that of locusts.
Cicada Anatomy
Most cicadas grow about an inch long and are usually dark brown, black, or green. As an insect, cicadas have three body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. They also have six spiny legs that allow them to cling and climb with ease. Two of the legs in front are more extensive, and they use them for digging for the delicious plant sap they crave.
They have a double set of transparent wings on their abdomen. Unlike locusts, cicadas don’t use their wings to make noise. They can fly for miles non-stop, and their legs are not made for hopping around. Another noticeable feature of Brood X Cicadas is their large, glassy eyes.
These pearlescent eyes can be red, blue, green, or a combination of colors. They almost look like strange lifeforms from outer space. They also have three smaller eyes, called ocelli, which detect light and shadow.
Brood X Cicadas’ notorious buzzing-like sound is produced by an organ called the tymbal. Most people suspect it’s by cicadas rubbing their wings together as the locusts do but that is not the case. The tymbal is an organ surrounded by muscle in the abdomen and as this muscle contracts, it moves the tymbal, creating the sound we hear. As the mass of cicadas do this together in close proximity, the sound becomes extremely loud. The noise is annoying to many people trying to enjoy time outdoors and is enough to cause you to search for how to get rid of Brood X Cicadas.
Life Cycle of Brood X Cicadas
During their summer appearance, cicadas mate, and the females end their life cycle by laying eggs in shrubs and tree branches. Female Brood X cicadas can lay as many as 400 eggs. After about ten weeks, the baby nymphs fall and burrow into the ground when the eggs hatch.
The cicadas that buzz around New Jersey and other areas are probably ones that hatched underground between 13-17 years ago. While cicada nymphs are in their underground nursery, they drink sap from the roots of trees and other plants. These tiny terrors cause years of damage before they even come to the surface.
In early summer, countless nymphs arise from the ground at sunset and will use their barbed feet to attach to trees and any other wooden structures. Overnight, the nymphs shed their exoskeletons, called molting, leaving ghostly shells clinging everywhere.
One sure way to know that they have arrived is when you start seeing the shells on your trees, in the grass, and on other surfaces.
Call of the Wild Cicadas
Brood X cicadas are notorious pests that waste no time finding a suitable mate. Unlike locusts, male Brood X cicadas use small plates on their abdomen to create the near-deafening mating call. The female cicadas produce a soft clicking noise through wing flicks.
Scientists have identified cicadas as being the loudest insects on Earth (no wonder everyone wants to know how to get rid of Brood X cicadas!). These bugs produce sound levels a little over 100 decibels which is hard to believe since that matches the sound intensity of a loud sporting event. The intense noise created by Brood X cicadas makes most other sounds of a summer day disappear.
They will spend about 40 days above ground to complete their life cycle. The new generation of nymphs will emerge from the ground to spend two weeks above ground before returning underground for seventeen more years. The next emergence of Brood X cicadas will happen in 2038 followed by another appearance in 2055. This gives you ample time to strategize about how to eliminate Brood X cicadas.
Potential Threats from Brood X Cicadas
While these bugs appear frightening they don’t actually pose any real threat. Since Brood X cicadas lack the ability to bite or sting people there is no need to flee from them. The only thing you may notice is their slightly prickly feet if one lands on you. Since Brood X cicadas lack poisonous or venomous properties you do not need to seek emergency medical attention.
Although cicadas will not bite or sting people they leave behind numerous unsightly molted shells in your yard. They don’t eat vegetation, or other solids like locusts do. Instead, they sip on nectar and sap. You could have problems with damage to your flowers or the leaves on trees. They also can make tiny holes in your tree branches to lay their eggs inside.
How to Get Rid of Brood X Cicadas’ Holes
Drilling these holes is called flagging, and it doesn’t have much of an impact on the massive trees, but it can kill smaller saplings. Too many of these holes can cause the branches to die from exposure. To protect your smaller trees, try putting a mesh netting around them to keep the bugs from getting inside.
You will need the netting to be around a half-inch thick. If it’s any more extensive, then it won’t offer the protection needed, as they can slip through the holes. By the time you start seeing them in your yard, it’s too late. It would help if you put these nets up before they emerge, and experts state the end of April or the first of May is the best time.
Another consideration when putting up these nets is for birds. Since spring is in full swing in New Jersey, you want to make sure there are no nests in the trees you protect. The netting is strong enough to trap the birds inside, and it can kill them.
Cicadas and Your Pets
Many dogs and cats eat an occasional bug to help fill their gut. Other animals are also known to help themselves to a few of these tasty treats. If they eat a couple of cicadas, it’s not going to hurt them.
The only issue can be bloating, as the bug’s exoskeleton is challenging for a pet to fully digest. Another problem when cicadas emerge is that they all come out at once. They do this as a protective method, as it makes them safer against predators.
Many pets love the taste of the cicadas, and some people even eat them, stating they taste like asparagus. An over-ingestion of these bugs is known to cause problems like diarrhea and vomiting. In most cases ingesting cicadas won’t be fatal for pets nor require veterinary intervention.
How to eliminate Brood X Cicadas
There are limited methods to eliminate Brood X cicadas yet certain strategies exist to safeguard your outdoor area.
Contact Kapture Pest Control
Pest control professionals can assess your property to help you find vulnerable areas where cicadas might cause some damage.
Even though cicadas are not a huge threat and treatment options are limited, we are still here to help you develop a plan on how to get rid of Brood X cicadas. Kapture Pest Control is here to help by applying treatment where necessary and by helping you protect areas on your property with effective solutions. Call Kapture today to learn more about how to get rid of Brood X Cicadas.