Cicadas return after 13 years
The number 13 has notoriously been associated with bad luck, and while many say this is just a superstition, the recent return of the 13-year cicadas to Franklin County has many wondering if it isn’t actually true.
The 13-year cicadas, or periodical cicadas, started showing up in the area around two weeks ago and, according to Chris Becker, Alabama Extension System’s regional extension agent for home grounds, gardens and home pests, county residents are looking at another month before the red-eyed insects are gone.
“These particular cicadas show up in 13-year increments and we start receiving calls when they start to appear because people notice the holes in their yards and don’t know what’s causing them,” Becker said.
According to Becker, these cicadas have been living in the ground in their larval or nymph stage since the last time they showed up in mass number in the area in 1998.
At that time, the female cicadas laid their eggs in the twigs of trees or in soft plant stems, which eventually died due to the injection of the eggs and fell to the ground. When the eggs hatched six to seven weeks later, the cicadas burrowed into the ground where they fed on fluid from plant and tree roots.
“While they are in the ground, they are getting bigger and bigger over a period of 13 or 17 years until they emerge,” Becker said.
“Adult cicadas have one purpose and that is to reproduce. Once they come out, the male cicadas ‘sing’ to find a mate, which makes the noise everyone is hearing when they go outside. Once they have mated, they start to die.”
The mass number of cicadas is what causes many people so much trouble when the insects cover the plants and the ground outside their home, but Becker said there is actually a reason for so many to appear all at once.
“Since their life cycle is only five to six weeks, all the eggs back in 1998 were laid during that time period so all these cicadas will emerge during a five to six week period,” Becker said.
“Also, it serves a survival purpose because there is a better chance of them being able to reproduce when there are so many and it keeps predators from being able to kill them all off before they can reproduce.”
Thousands of cicadas covering the area may be a nuisance, but Becker said that’s all it really is.
“These cicadas aren’t harmful at all,” he said. “The won’t sting or bite you. The only thing they’ll do is scare people who don’t like bugs.”
Many of the cicadas have started to die, but there are several weeks left until they’re all gone. Until then, Becker said residents can attempt to control the infestation at their homes by using insecticides.
“If they’re on your ornamental plants or around your home, you can kill them with most common insecticides,” Becker said. “Just make sure you pick one that is recommended for cicada control and follow the directions for use.”
