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Dog-Day Cicada: Have You Seen Any This Year?

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Cicada Damage In the world of lawn and landscape care, summer is the time when we see lots of diseases, insects and weeds. One of the loudest of these insects that we hear throughout the day and early evening is the “song” of the Annual Cicada or Dog-Day Cicada. If you live in parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, you have already had to deal with the 17-year Cicada, refer to the picture below, populations causing an almost unbearable racket along with a good deal of damage to the tender branch tips of many trees.

17 year old cicada

The chirping or song that the Annual Cicada, produces is a mating call from the males to surrounding females.

Characteristics

  • Dark bodies.
  • Large eyes.
  • Clear membranous wings.
  • 2-5 cm in size.
  • Males have organs on their abdomens called tymbals, which produce the noises we hear.

Life Cycle

  • Cicadas are born from eggs that are shaped like rice.
  • Despite their name, the life cycle of the Annual Cicada ranges from 2 to 5 years, depending on the species.
  • The nymphs live underground, slowly feeding on the roots of many trees.
  • They crawl out of the ground, climb a tree and molt in July and August as a winged adult. Many people find the molted skins or shells clinging to a tree during this period.

5 Fun Facts

  1. Cicadas confuse the sounds of power tools for the sounds they produce with their tymbals. This is why they may land on you when you’re mowing your lawn.
  2. Only male cicada’s make the sounds they are famous for.
  3. The sound males make can be heard for up to half a mile away.
  4. Cicadas are bad flyers and often bump into their surroundings.
  5. They actually have five eyes the two that are visible and a cluster of three between those two eyeballs.
Unless there are numerous holes in your lawn or landscape, controlling them is usually not necessary. The females prefer to dig their burrows in bare soil, so keeping your lawn watered, fertilized and mowed at the proper height helps reduce their populations. Landscape beds can be mulched to accomplish the same thing. This is also the time of year when solitary wasps, such as the Cicada Killer, becomes very active. The female will dig a hole or burrow in a lawn, landscape area or even a child’s sandbox that is 6 to 10 inches deep and about a half inch in diameter. The female will locate and sting larger insects, like a cicada, and drags it back to the burrow or nest. Once inside, she will lay an egg on the paralyzed cicada and cover the hole when done. This process is repeated over and over again, which can result in numerous burrows being created. When the egg hatches, the larva feeds on the cicada as it grows.  It will remain underground until the following summer. These wasps are unlikely to sting. The males may dive-bomb anyone who walks through his territory, but once he realizes that you are not another wasp, he will leave you alone. The females may sting if stepped on or if someone tries to grab one out of the air with bare hands. If you are concerned about Annual Cicadas or any other insect pest in your lawn or landscape, contact your local Spring-Green professional.