Published: April 09, 2008 08:11 am      

Cicadas return after 17 years

ASHLAND — They come out of the ground by the millions, covering shrubs like winged blankets, emitting a high-pitched buzzing.

What sounds like the plot of a 1950s sci-fi movie is about to really happen in most of Kentucky and parts of surrounding states.

It’s the emergence of the 17-year cicadas, large flying insects resembling jarflies. Their larvae have been living underground since the last emergence in 1991 and will hatch sometime late this month or early in May.

Only a few weeks of their 17-year life cycle is spent above ground, but in that time they manage to annoy humans and damage shrubs and small trees.

Harmless to people and animals, the insects damage woody plants when they lay their eggs, said Lori Bowling, horticulture extension agent for the Boyd County Cooperative Extension Service.

When the soil temperature warms to the mid-60s, they burrow up to the surface and shed their skins.

After that is when the noise starts. The cicada mating call can be deafening.

“I think young and old alike will be hearing ringing in their ears this spring,” Bowling said.

After mating, the females lay their eggs. They typically choose branches about the size of a pencil and scrape away the bark to deposit their eggs.

With that many insects scraping away, the branches are damaged and die, Bowling said.

Then when the eggs hatch, the larvae drop to the ground and burrow in, attaching themselves to roots for the next 17 years.

The larvae also can cause damage, which becomes noticeable in five years or so.

There are no preventative insecticides that will eliminate cicadas, although plain old bug spray will kill on contact, Bowling said. Unfortunately, there are too many of the insects to spray effectively.

In fact, there are too many of them for predators to eliminate as well. Many birds, and even cats and dogs, will eat cicadas, and people can eat them too — if they want to.

Farmers need not worry, said agriculture extension agent Lyndall Harned. Cicadas have very little effect on production crops, he said.

Landscapers, nursery owners and homeowners who have recently planted shrubs can ward off the insects by covering their plants with cheesecloth or small-mesh netting, Bowling said.

Cicadas typically emerge in the same areas cycle after cycle, because they aren’t very good flyers and don’t range more than about 150 feet from where they hatch.



Have a bug buffet

As long as the cicadas are out there, you might as well cook up a few of them.

For one thing, it helps to diminish, if only infinitesimally, the incessant chirping. For another, they’re high in protein and low in carbs.

A few things to remember:

For peak flavor and texture, grab them when they first come out of the ground.

Remove wings and legs; the appendages aren’t harmful but don’t add to the taste.

Blanch the bugs immediately — boil four or five minutes — to improve texture and kill any soil bacteria.

For some recipes, cicadas should be dry-roasted for 10 to 15 minutes at 225 degrees. (Makes a great snack!)

Recipes are taken from “Cicada-Licious,” by Jenna Jaden, a graduate student at the University of Maryland.

Disclaimer:

Check with your physician before eating cicadas, especially if you have food allergies. Cicadas are arthropods, as are crayfish and shrimp, so those allergic to seafood may experience similar reactions. Also, take care not to consume cicadas that have been sprayed with insecticides.



MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.