The Cicada Invasion: Will Your Garden Be Left In Ruins? What You Must Know!
🌿 Discover the surprising truth about cicadas and your garden! Learn how to protect your plants during their emergence. 🦗 #CicadaInvasion #HomeAndGarden #MinnesotaNews
ST. PAUL, MN – As spring gives way to summer, a familiar buzzing fills the air in many parts of the country. This is the sound of cicadas emerging from their long underground hibernation. This is especially prevalent here in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest. You’ve probably heard that this year is historic for cicadas.
For some, the appearance of these bulky, red-eyed insects triggers worries about the fate of carefully tended trees and gardens. Will cicadas spell doom for your landscape plants, or are they nothing to fear?
🌿 Understanding the Cicada Life Cycle and Diet
To determine if cicadas pose a threat to your garden, it helps to know a bit about their life cycle. There are two main types: annual cicadas which emerge yearly, and periodical cicadas which spend 13 or 17 years underground before surfacing en masse.
As nymphs, cicadas feed on fluids from tree roots. Once they emerge, usually when soil temperatures reach 64°F, adult cicadas may feed on sap from twigs and lay their eggs in slits cut into branches.
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🍂 Cosmetic Damage vs. True Plant Harm
While the slits cicadas create to deposit eggs can cause branch tips to flag and die back, this damage is usually not severe enough to threaten the health of mature trees. Daniel A. Herms, PhD, from the Davey Tree Expert Company, compares it to a light pruning.
Small twigs may suffer dieback, but the overall impact on established trees is minimal. Cicadas also rarely target garden plants, shrubs or herbs. The immature nymphs feeding on roots underground don’t significantly impair plant health.
🌳 Protecting Vulnerable Trees and Plants
However, if you have young trees or particularly prized specimens, you may want to take precautions when periodic cicadas emerge. Covering small trees in fine mesh or cheesecloth can prevent cicadas from accessing branches to lay eggs.
Avoid using insecticides, which can backfire by killing beneficial predators. For less severe infestations, a strong jet of water from a hose can help dislodge cicadas from plants. Once the egg-laying period concludes after a few weeks, prune out damaged branches to encourage healthy new growth.
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🦗 Appreciating the Positive Side of Cicadas
Despite their intimidating appearance, cicadas are not harmful to people and can actually benefit your local ecosystem. Animals from birds to small mammals rely on the copious insects as an important food source.
Their emergence helps aerate and enrich soil. And for many, the chance to witness this remarkable natural phenomenon outweighs the minor risk of plant damage. With some simple precautions for vulnerable trees, it’s possible to appreciate the wonders of cicadas while keeping your garden in tact.
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🗣 Are you concerned about cicadas in your garden? Have any helpful tips of your own that you’d like to share with the community of readers? We’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments section below. ⬇️
