What PMP's Need to Know About the 2024 Cicadas
You have probably seen it in the news and are aware that it's a periodical cicada emergence year. But do you understand what that means for you and your pest control business? I want to start by saying that this is a rare opportunity to see a remarkable natural phenomenon more so than it is a pest management professional's (PMP's) headache.
Cicadas are insects in the order Hemiptera and family Cicadidae. There are many species including ones that come out every year. The mass emergences that you may have seen before and that are to be expected in 2024, are from particular species that have an extraordinarily long life cycle. The life cycle begins when eggs are laid by adult females into the branches of trees using their sharp ovipositor. After 6-10 weeks, the eggs hatch and tiny cicada nymphs emerge and fall down onto the ground. They will burrow into the soil to begin their years underground. When soil temperatures reach a certain temperature, around 64 degrees Fahrenheit, the immature cicadas are cued to emerge from their long stay in the ground. These will crawl up the trunk of a nearby tree and molt into their adult form. Newly emerged adults are pale white but harden and darken in color within a few hours. The adults will spend their month of life looking for a mate then mating to continue the life cycle.
Illinois: The Star of 2024?
There are groups of cicadas that emerge every 13 years (Brood XIX) and 17 years (Brood XIII). Depending on your location, you may run into one or the other. Not only are these bugs separated by the year they emerge, they are also geographically separate. This year, the buzz is that this is a rare double emergence event where both broods will be out at once. While it is true that they are both coming out in 2024, the areas of emergence are mostly separate. Between the two broods that will emerge, much of Illinois and the Midwest will get to see the periodical cicadas of 2024 but it is unlikely that many areas if any will be seeing both at the same time.
At no stage in their life cycle are cicadas harmful or deadly to life around them. When the adult females lay their eggs in tree branches, this does not harm the trees. A few leaves around the egg site may die off, but this can serve as a natural pruning to the tree, increasing flowering and future growth. As nymphs in the ground for years on end, there are no observable detrimental effects to the trees whose roots they feed on. After emergence, the new adults may feed on the fluids from their trees but once again they do not cause noticeable damage as they are much more busy finding their mates. Each life stage causes very little damage and hence are not damaging pests to lawns, ornamentals, or structures.
The biggest environmental impact periodical cicadas have are as food for predators. The sheer number of cicadas that emerge and the numerous eggs they lay to set up for future generations creates a unique condition of predator satiation. There are just so many of them, the birds and other animals that might feed on them get full and tired. The adults are clumsy, large, and easy to find making them easy food. Nature's all-you-can-eat buffet provides an amazing food resource for the rest of the critters in the environment.
Impact on Humans (& Your Customers)
The vast numbers of cicadas you might see in woods, older neighborhoods, or any area with trees that have been around for at least 13 or 17 years is astounding! But with vast numbers of bugs, comes scared and concerned customers. The good news for folks who aren't fond of the bumbling bugs is that they will only be around for about a month. They live only for a short time as adults before the life cycle begins once again. No need for treatments for a "problem" that will solve itself shortly!
As PMP's the first question you probably get with any unknown bug is, "does it bite or sting?" The good news is that cicadas do not bite or sting! If they land on a person, it is purely by mistake as cicadas are poor fliers and not very nimble. Because their only detrimental effect on humans is as a temporary annoyance, there are no recommended treatments for them. You can assure folks that they will go away relatively quickly on their own and pose no threat to them, their pets, or their plants.
Article by Ellie Lane
For more information and resources that you can share with customers, check out these sites.
Other sources
Kritsky, G. (2021). Periodical cicadas: The Brood X Edition. Ohio Biological Survey.
