If you are in the path of Magicicada Brood II this year, we have some tips to survive, and even enjoy, the invasion. Step one: Invest in some earplugs.
Expect Buzzing
Cicada mating is noisy. Males vibrate a special drumlike organ in their bodies called a tymbal to attract females. Their bodies are built to amplify the sound, and males gather together in trees to "sing." Cicada expert Gene Kritsky has recorded a cicada chorus at 96 decibels.
"The average jet flying overhead was between 70 to 80 decibels," says Kritsky, who is an entomologist and chair of biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. "The cicadas were drowning out the jets."
Cover Your Vulnerabilities
Male cicadas do little damage to the trees they occupy, and cicadas don't have mouthparts for chewing, so your gardens are safe. However, females cut into small twigs to lay their eggs under bark. Large trees will survive this natural pruning without a problem, but trees smaller than 4 feet tall can die from the damage. Kritsky recommends wrapping small trees with cheesecloth ahead of time.
"If you can't reach the branches of the tree, then it's likely to survive anyway," Kritsky says. And be sure to cover any pools, or clean them often, as dead cicadas will clog the filter.
Do Lawn Work at Dawn or Dusk
Cicadas sometimes confuse the vibrations of power tools with the vibrations of the males. As a result, males and female cicadas may swarm to you if you're using power tools, lawn trimmers, leaf blowers, or mowers. Dan Mozgai, a cicada enthusiast who runs cicadamania.com, recommends using power tools at dawn or dusk, when cicadas are least active.
Wear a Hat Under Trees
Cicadas drink the xylem fluid of trees as nourishment. That means they pee from their perch on trees too. The squirts of "cicada rain," or "honey dew," as it is called, won't hurt you. But go outdoors with a hat or jacket ready if cicadas are overhead.
Watch Hungry Pets
Cicadas swarm in dense numbers as a "predator satiation" strategy, Kritsky says. That means that most wild predators will get sick of eating them in a few days. But monitor your dogs and cats?the cicada exoskeleton can cause digestive problems.
"If pets eat a whole bunch, they can choke. And if they get a wing sidewise, they can choke," Mozgai says. Take special precaution with pets if fertilizers or pesticides were used around your house before the cicada emergence. Pesticides won't kill cicadas, but pets can get sick from eating the pesticide-laced survivors. Who knows?you may want to try a cicada yourself.
Catch a Few for Lunch
"It's a very green flavor. Like cold, canned asparagus," says Kritsky, who cooks them blanched in salads. The whole cicada can be eaten shortly after they morph into their adult form, while they are still white. Catch them later and you'll need to break off the wings, legs, and head.
A cicada cookbook from the University of Maryland can guide you through savory dishes and desserts, including cicada rhubarb pie. Be cautious if you have a shellfish allergy. Cicadas are arthropods and may trigger a reaction.
Get a Rake and Shovel
Adult cicadas emerge only to mate and die. Large numbers of rotting cicadas stink, so grab a rake and a shovel. Burying cicadas in a deep hole will remove the smell. Or, try composting their bodies. About six to 10 weeks after the cicadas die, the next generation hatches. The white nymphs will be the size of a grain of rice and will soon crawl back underground.
Report Them for the Greater Good
Experts are hoping you will report sightings near you at magicicada.org, run by John Cooley of the University of Connecticut. The site has compiled a map of the 2013 emergence thus far. "And look for the ones with white or blue eyes," Mozgai says. "They are very rare."
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