The 13 year Cicadas are almost here. Within days to weeks millions of these large insects will visit Middle Tennessee.
The are harmless to us, harmless to our pets, and mostly harmless to our landscape plants.
They are mainly just a nuisance, noisy and ubiquitous.
Miscellany:
The cicada is not a locust.
The nymphs, which have been snuggling underground for 13 years, emerge when the soil temperature at 4 inches is about 67 degrees F.
The nymphs molt within a few hours, becoming adult cicadas.
The adults, once emerged, live for about 5 weeks.
Adult cicadas do not feed on vegetation: your flowers and shrubs are safe.
The males sing loudly during the day to attract mates
The adult female may lay her eggs on the underside of pencil sized twigs or branches. (So, if you have young fruit trees, you should protect them.)
Apple, pear, dogwood, oak and hickory are favorite hosts for the egg-laying.
They cannot sting you.
Pronounce it "suh-KAY-duh"
http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/cicada/Cicadapage.htm
http://www.wkrn.com/story/14258427/13-year-cicada-will-soon-invade-middle-tenn
Thanks to David Cook, the Davidson County UT extension agent, and the UTK publications, for always answering my insect questions.
