Cicada facts and information - the mania, maps (coming), larvae, nymph, and molting stages.

cicado cicadologo

    

 

 


   

Fast Facts

 

  • Cicada's are the loudest insect - their sound can be heard up to a half mile away (400 meters)!
  • Blue-eyed cicadas are rare... and the reward for finding a blue-eyed cicada is a hoax! Rumors that Hopkins University was paying $100 or $1,000 for rare blue-eyed cicadas are not true. No one is paying.
  • Scientists believe that the large numbers of cicadas in a periodic species is an evolutionary adaptation to ensure survival of the species - there are too many of them to be eaten before they produce their eggs.
    • They live in largegroups called broods; Brood X is the largest brood in the United States
    • They live in the following states: states DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, and W-VA
  • They are not dangerous, generally speaking - except when they startle you! Cicadas are not poisonous - many animals make a happy meal of these insects
    • Note - adult males make a loud defensive buzzing or cawing sound that can startle, but they are harmless.
  • Adult cicadas live for thirty to forty days
  • Adult cicadas are flying, plant-feeding insects.
  • Females have blade-like ovipositors that are visible on the bottom surface of the abdomen.
  • Males do not have the ovipositors.
  • Larva eat the sap of tree roots, for years
  • Their internal "clock" signaling the end of 13 or 17 years is a mystery to scientists.
  • Cicadas naturally climb upwards after they come out of their holes in the ground. They climb and at random points they will molt. Molting is the process of shedding their exoskeleton by splitting open the back of their brittle exoskeletons andwiggling out.
  • The small eggs take six to eight weeks to fully mature. At the end of the maturation period, the nymphs drop down to the ground and they immediately start their descent.
  • The new nymphs burrow 2 to 18 inches (5-46 cm) down below the surface to find a tree root to feed on.

 



 
cicada sound Sounds of Cicadas
If you listen carefully, you might here them! (You know this is a joke if you have them all around you!)
Can you eat cicadas?
Well, yes, but carefully. Not that we advise you to. Or your pets - if they eat a lot, the shells could, um, constipate them. Kebab

More facts about cicadas here (epa.gov).


toad croaking

Predator or friend - or oblivious?

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