Page 30 2024 Spring Home and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 2024 bugs emerge from the soil, typically this is a nighttime event, so we seldom see the bugs coming up out of the ground. We just know that one day we don’t have any and the next day we have hundreds. Once these “teenagers” arrive above ground, they seek out woody plants, primarily mature trees where they attach themselves to the surface. This provides the bug with an anchor as the young adult breaks out of the crusty shell of the teenager. The young adult emerges from the crusty shell as a white almost translucent insect with translucent wings. While the wings remain relatively clear, the body of the insect will darken to become what we often see habituating trees and feeding on their leaves. At this point it is mating time for the bugs. While they are munching on leaves, this is not necessarily harmful to trees. They are consuming nutrients, maturing, and beginning their next cycle. The male bug calls to the female utilizing a vibration in the belly side of the body that creates that crazy loud sound that we will hear throughout their mating cycle. The ladies are drawn to that sound and thus the mating process begins. When the time is right, the female will then lay her eggs, and here comes the point in time when we should be concerned for the health of our trees and shrubs. The females will choose their egg location, seeking out younger trees and shrubs with small twigs. This will be living green twigs no larger than an old school number two yellow pencil. The insect pierces the skin or bark of the twig and implants its eggs. This piercing causes damage to the twig. With heavy infestations, a twig will be pierced multiple times by a variety of females during the season. Those punctures, commonly called “flagging” will eventually cause the death of the twig. On small young trees, this can mean the loss of the tree altogether. The bugs are not terribly picky about the trees they select. They will not choose an evergreen tree or shrub, but other than that, any tree in your lawn is capable of being an attractive incubator for the next generation of cicadas. So, the question becomes, how do we save those young trees and shrubs from these insects. Once the damage is done, the answer is, you don’t. So the key to successfully protecting your trees is to be prepared ahead of time. Insecticides have proven to be ineffective with cicadas, so don’t waste money and time on bug sprays. The best method of prevention is going to be tree netting. Tree netting can be found at garden centers where trees are sold or can be purchased online. Cover the trees early this spring and don’t uncover them until the cicadas have completed their life cycle, about six weeks after they come on the scene. The netting should be put on to cover the tree and touch the ground all around the tree to help avoid the invasion. If you are thinking about planting new trees and shrubs this year, unless they are evergreens, you might consider putting it off for another year. And, to protect yourself, you might want to consider buying a set of earplugs or noise cancelling headphones. At the peak of their mating season the sound let off by the male Continued --
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