Understanding Cicadas: Effects on Plants and Ways to Protect Your Garden
Curious about cicadas and their impact on your garden? Discover everything you need to know, including whether cicadas eat plants and how to safeguard your yard during their emergence.
What Are Cicadas?
Cicadas, fascinating insects with distinctive features like broad bodies and transparent wings, belong to the order Hemiptera. They are known for their loud songs and periodic emergences, which occur every 13 to 17 years, typically between April and June.
When Do Cicadas Come Out?
Cicadas emerge when soil temperatures reach around 64°F, usually between April and June for periodical species and throughout the summer for annual ones.
What Do Cicadas Eat?
Cicada nymphs feed on tree roots, while adult cicadas may occasionally consume sap from young trees, tender twigs, and deciduous shrubs.
Are Cicadas Harmful to Plants?
While cicadas can cause cosmetic damage by creating holes in branches to lay their eggs, they typically do not pose a significant threat to mature trees or most garden plants.
How to Protect Your Plants from Cicadas Before an emergence: cover small and newly planted trees with mesh netting or cheesecloth to prevent cicadas from laying eggs. Avoid using insecticides, as they can harm cicadas' natural predators. Prune damaged branches after egg-laying is complete.