Cicadas should disappear by the end of June

Late spring and early summer are the perfect days for outdoor activities. Temperatures are generally manageable and with the sunset after 8 p.m. there is plenty of daylight.

This year, however, with the emergence of 13- and 17-year-old cicadas, in addition to the annual ones, these outdoor hours are marred by the deafening noise of billions of insects. Not to mention collisions with cicadas that were simply heading towards the mailbox or cracked seashells on the way out.

When will these large pests complete their mating rituals and return underground for another 13 to 17 years?

The answer to that question will be available soon, says Dr. Kasey Fowler-Finn, associate professor of biology at Saint Louis University. “By the end of June, most of them should be gone. »

Unique year for cicadas

2024 is unique because two species of cicadas, Brood XIX (13 years old) and Brood XIII (17 years old) emerged at the same time. Fortunately, for the St. Louis area, the billions of buzzing insects came only from Brood XIX. The same cannot be said for Springfield, Illinois. where both broods emerged simultaneously.

Density of cicadas

My garden is covered in cicada shells and at certain times of the day if you venture outside you will be “dive bombed” by the insects. But how come some places have cicadas, but others don't?

“Cicadas depend on trees to survive,” says Fowler-Finn. “So less densely forested areas will have fewer or no periodical cicadas.”

Adding: “High tree density is particularly important for periodical cicadas because they depend on predator satiation. This means that they plan to come out in such large numbers that predators will eat their fill without eating the entire cicada population. » However, in places with fewer trees, cicadas cannot reach the high volume to satiate themselves, so they cannot persist. .

Dogs and cicadas

Dog owners have noticed their pups munching on cicadas, and the good news is that ingesting cicadas is generally harmless, even to humans.

However, Fowler-Finn warns: “One caveat is if you have a seafood allergy – some allergists see people with shellfish allergies – who have been licked by their dogs after their dogs ate cicadas – break out in hives for just a little while. a patch on their skin where the dog licked them! »

“Honeydew”

My boys were playing outside and one of them came in after a cicada landed on him, saying his hand was sticky. According to Fowler-Finn, it was likely cicada pee, which is honeydew.

“Cicadas have to eat a large amount of plant sap to get all their nutrients, so they also have to expel a huge amount of fluid.”

I'll add a fun fact: “They do this by peeing in streams – this helps them move their honeydew away from their bodies, so it doesn't stick to them and grow mold etc.” »

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