Cooperative Living May 2021 - 34

MeadowAdventure | by Joan Newman, Contributing Writer
Cicadas: How to
Prepare for Brood X
Be mindful of the damage their latest cycle can cause
CONTROLLING CICADAS
There are no effective biological
controls for cicadas. While birds,
parasitic wasps, predatory mites and
various mammals feed on nymphs,
eggs and adults, they are insufficient
to control the vast quantities of
emerging cicadas.
Typically, the damage caused
by these insects does not warrant
chemical control. Sprays will often
cause worse problems by affecting
other beneficial insects.
If you decide chemical treatment is
B
eginning in April or May, we will
see adult cicadas from Brood X
(known as the Great Eastern
Brood), which covers 16 states in the
eastern United States. Females will
begin laying eggs about two weeks
after they emerge and are active for
approximately six weeks.
The female cicada lays eggs in slits
she has cut in thin branches, typically
pencil width, during a process called
oviposition. The eggs hatch after six to
10 weeks. The nymphs leave the twigs
and drop to the soil, restarting the
entire 17-year cycle.
The egg implantation causes the
branch to split and wither, known as
" flagging, " which results in the leaves
turning brown and dying. On larger,
mature trees and shrubs, this process
is unsightly, but usually not harmful
to the tree.
TAKING PRECAUTIONS
Since cicadas can emerge in
overwhelming numbers, as many as
1.5 million an acre, young trees and
small trees are vulnerable. To avoid
damage to a young tree, you may want
to delay planting until later in 2022.
If you decide to plant, there are
several things that you can try on
small ornamental trees, shrubs and
fruit trees:
* Cover them with netting of 1/4inch
mesh or less or with very
32 | Cooperative Living | May 2021
lightweight fabric row cover. This
will only work for small plants
since the netting/fabric will need
to be secured around the trunk to
keep the cicadas out. Inspect any
netting regularly since birds and
other creatures can get caught.
* Wrap bands of duct tape with the
sticky side out, or sticky adhesive
on burlap strips, around the base
of a tree trunk to trap emerging
nymphs as they crawl up the tree.
The nymphs can be removed each
morning.
* On young fruit trees, postpone
winter pruning until summer and
then prune and remove damaged
limbs. If this is done after the eggs
are laid, but before the nymphs
drop to the ground, it will also help
reduce the number of nymphs
feeding on the tree roots.
* Damage in mature vineyards is
usually limited to the ends of the
vines, which can be pruned off.
Female cicadas will sometimes
lay eggs in the trunks of young
vines, so young trunks should be
protected using a physical covering,
such as aluminum foil.
* If you have an ornamental pond,
consider covering it with screening
or mesh to avoid an accumulation
of decomposing cicadas in the
water.
Joan Newman is Clarke County coordinator
for the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master
Gardener Association, which provided this
article. For more, visit nsvmga.org.
co-opliving.com
necessary, consult the current Virginia
Pest Management Guide or the Spray
Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit
Growers. Go to ext.vt.edu and search
for " Pest Management Guide. "
If you use a chemical, ensure you
read and follow the label. Once you
have taken precautions, sit back and
try to enjoy (or ignore) the chorus
that will serenade you from about
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with an
occasional prelude or nocturn, for
about six weeks. Remember, you
won't see the offspring of Brood X
until 2038. 
PHOTO BY JIM ROBERTSON
http://ext.vt.edu http://www.nsvmga.org http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living May 2021

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