The 17-year cicadas have emerged and are making their presence known with their loud rhythmic buzzing.

17-year cicada makes buzzy return to area

 

Besides the rumbling of thunder and rain slapping the pavement, the rhythmic buzzing of the 17-year cicada is also being heard throughout the area this spring.

The small insects have emerged and are here for a few more weeks until they complete their six-week cycle.

Bob Bauernfeind, entomologist with Kansas State University Research and Extension, noted in a recent extension newsletter that the first report he received of the Brood IV periodical cicadas emergence was on May 18 from a Topeka resident.

In May and June of each emergence year, matured cicada nymphs will emerge from the ground and climb onto trees, bushes and other upright structures.

After they secure a foothold, a split will form at the head end of each nymph and the adult will emerge from its shed brown exoskeleton, according to a K-State Extension report by Bauernfeind.

Residents with an abundance of cicadas will notice mud holes in the ground as the nymphs emerge as well as empty exoskeleton “skins.” Cicadas do not sting or bite.

Free of its old skin, their wings inflate and their new skin can harden in about four to five days. The bodies of periodical cicadas are basically black but portions of the wings veins are distinctly orange and the eyes are red or orange. They can range from .75 to 1.5 inches in length. The adults can live from five to six weeks.

The “buzzing” heard during this time is from the male cicadas “singing” in order to attract females.

Each cicada species has a distinct ‘call’ to supposedly attract a female of the same species. Male cicadas produce sounds by vibrating a pair of drum-like membranes housed within their abdomen.

Female cicadas will then use their saw-like ovipositors to split open the bark of twigs and branches on trees and shrubs to lay their eggs. One female deposits two to four dozen eggs per sit and can repeat this process until they have laid up to 600 eggs.

As the eggs are laid, the tips of branches can be killed, appearing that the branch is dead. However, Bauernfeind reports that it’s a brief aesthetic issue and that it won’t damage trees long-term.

More than 270 species of plants serve as hosts for the eggs, and the most preferred plants include maple, hickory, hawthorn, apple, peach, cherry and pear.

Larger trees can withstand the damage of the “flagging” as this process is known. Smaller trees, however, can be protected with nylon mesh or cheesecloth draped over the plant during the egg laying period or chemical controls can be used.

The cicada’s eggs, which look like a piece of rice, will hatch in seven to eight weeks, and then will fall to the ground where it will dig until it finds a root to feed on. Although fully grown by seven to eight years, the nymphs stay underground for a total of 17 years.

While periodical cicadas show up every 17 years in Kansas, some cicadas emerge four years early, it was reported. The next emergence of the 17-year cicada will occur in 2032.

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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