Cicada mania

[Amanda Doofenshmirtz]

I'm pretty sure the Cicada's hatched in 2012. I wasn't into gardening then, but I remember hearing them loud and often. So I was TERRIFIED when I found one in my garden this past June. I'm sorry but I'm a bit of an insectophobe. It gets better with age (for me.) My fear is the worst when the bug is BIG and can FLY. I read about Cicada'so gentle nibbling and am NOT worried about them EXCEPT my official count is up to 6 exoskeletons and I just came face to face with another live one on my burgundy beans. Why are they awake now? 2012 was not 17 years ago (I hope!!!!!! ) why is this happening and should I fear them hurting my plants or flying into my pretty purple hair?

[told2b]

You are seeing "annual" cicadas as opposed to "periodical" cicadas.

[applestar]

Yep. Nothing says SUMMER and HOT to me like the constant drone of the cicadas. We get the brilliant emerald green ones every summer. This is probably when they are the most numerous and loudest around here.

Usually the Cicada Killer wasps arrive about now and I get to see them on a hunt couple of times each season.

Although they suck on plant juices, and I suppose disease vector is possible, I've never worried that they would hurt them. They are sometimes even on the corn and other unlikely plants -- you mentioned the beans. They are flighty and will skidaddle AWAY if you disturb them. They don't fly at you except by accident... Or when they are not looking where they are going because they are being pursued by a predator.

[!potatoes!]

yep - periodical cicadas (usually black with red highlights) come out every 17 (or for some, 13) years. 'annual' cicadas (I've seen them also called 'dogday harvestflies - usually green and black) are around every year.

they're more likely to do damage to woody plants than things in your garden. and generally not much on the woody plants either.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah. I live pretty much out in the country these days, with a horse ranch behind my backyard. People think the country is quiet? Where I used to live was a big busy street with a police dept and a fire department a couple blocks away, constant sirens, etc. Here there is none of that. But it isn't quiet! Between the tree frogs and the cicadas (and whatever else is in that chorus), it can be deafening in the evenings.

But I don't see those cicadas; I think they mostly stay in the trees. I lived in Cincinnati the last time there was a major outbreak of the 17 year cicadas. That was amazing! We had a ring of cicada cast-offs around the shrubs in our front yard extending out from the trunks for 3 feet and maybe 4 or 5 inches deep . In those numbers, they were damaging to the shrubs, chewing through small branches and stripping bark. But they still never bothered my veggie garden.