Cicadas back

[Jess from VA]

After 17 Years Underground, Cicadas Stage a 2020 Southern Invasion. The big and noisy insects have started to emerge and are looking to mate in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. They break through the ground, like the undead emerging from graves.  As many as 1.5 million cicadas could emerge per acre.  .

So I have thousands of holes in my VA hard clay the cicadas have exited from.  No big noise from them yet.

However, I also have hundreds of opportunist yellow jackets who will happily take over the holes in advancing ground nests.  This is so later, when I mow the lawn, they can get all excited and come out and sting me and make me run the 10 flat hundred (again).  

So I've been out discouraging them before they get started.  No firearms, just toxic fluids.

This has been a public service announcement (for out East).



My least favorite bug.  Pricks!


 

[msb]

I had never heard of a Cicada before, until I rode to WV for Inzane a few years back. My first day there, I went for a ride through the valleys and mountains with my cousin who had met me there from Ontario. We were riding along a backroad winding along a river and under a canopy of trees, and I kept hearing this odd chirping type of  noise. I was thinking "great, I ride 3200 miles to get here with no issues at all, and my first day here my u-joint starts to fail". I kept hearing this noise as we rode up to an overlook and got off the bikes to view the valley below (spectacular). After a couple of seconds, I noticed that I was still hearing that sound??? Struck up a conversation with a local gentleman standing nearby and he pointed out the swarms of Cicadas barely visible hovering in and above the treeline below and indicated that it was them that were producing that constant sound that I had been hearing (and worrying about) earlier .
Another thing I learned about Cicadas that week... just one hitting your windscreen can block out a whole lotta vision  

[RP#62]

I've found that below 40 mph, they bounce off your windshield and above 40, it looks like you hit a tomato.

-RP

[Oss]

note to self

keep visor down while on 81 past Winchester Va

[Jess from VA]

I don't believe I've ever hit one driving or riding.
 
They crawl out of the ground, crawl up trees (leaving their shells), stay in the trees and play symphonies, mate, and die.

What mystifies me is their ability to bore down into and out of concrete clay.  When I buried electrical, I had to use an axe more than a shovel. 

[RP#62]

On one of the photography sites I visit, one of the guys posted pictures of a copperhead following a cicada scent trail up a tree and finally eating it.  Evidently copperheads are fond of them (this was in South Carolina). 

-RP

[Psychotic Bovine]

A friend of mine used to use an air rifle to shoot them out of the trees.
If you lived in a rural area, I would think a .22 rifle with .22 shotshells would be pretty fun.

[Willow]

A friend of mine used to use an air rifle to shoot them out of the trees.
If you lived in a rural area, I would think a .22 rifle with .22 shotshells would be pretty fun. 

But why?

[Patrick]

The last time I remember those critters they caused a whole lot of damage. 'They' say that they are coming to this area this year. I hope not. They're eating machines.

[Jess from VA]

Hey, Jess.  Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia had the biggest occurrence of that in 1970.  We're you around for that?

I was around, but on an island in MI we never had any to speak of.  To VA in 1992.

They're eating machines.

I think you're confusing them with locusts.  Though the cicadas do chew up some tree leaves, it's nothing like locusts through agriculture.

[Psychotic Bovine]

A friend of mine used to use an air rifle to shoot them out of the trees.
If you lived in a rural area, I would think a .22 rifle with .22 shotshells would be pretty fun.

Might be a little fun, but wouldn't put a dent in the population.  Millions of them emerge all at once.

I know, but it would be just for fun.

[Jess from VA]

Well Plug, I can imagine being 32yo.... but I don't know what I'd do with all that energy.

(Just washed the big truck, and now it's almost time for my nap.)   

[cookiedough]

not in a cicada state, but have driven luckily only a couple times along the great river road over by PDC WI along Mississippi river when the mayfly hatch is in near full force or sure seemed like it.  Best be on 4 wheels vs. 2 wheels for gets slippery on the roads and juicy on the windshields. 

I too hate the ground bees when mowing.  Mowing my moms grass with push mower,  every year the past 4-5 years either my brother or more so me have been stung by the ground bees and more than one bite at a time.    I still remember the worst ever being stung about 6-7 times in a row all over by a swarm of wasps when the old farmer I use to work for when age 18 fired up the old combine harvester in a tall overgrown field me standing near it and he yelled at me to GET OUTTA there,  too late,  was very bad me puffing up all over being stung in those 4-5 seconds multiple times by wasps before running like the devil 50 mph in no time flat...., well almost 50 more like 15 mph or so....   

[MarkT]

Hmm.  My decision to trailer to Inzane looks better all the time.  Now there's going to be a huge heat wave, that A/C is going to be nice.

[Patrick]

Hey, Jess.  Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia had the biggest occurrence of that in 1970.  We're you around for that?

I was around, but on an island in MI we never had any to speak of.  To VA in 1992.

They're eating machines.

I think you're confusing them with locusts.  Though the cicadas do chew up some tree leaves, it's nothing like locusts through agriculture.

I don't think we've had Locusts come thru.
But these other guys killed 2 of my Maples last time they were here. They caused a lot of damage to others but they survived. I guess they don't eat the leaves, they eat/suck the juices out of the stems. Thats what I've been told. Maybe I should go and find out for sure.

[cookiedough]

no cicadas, but past 2 weeks the Japanese beetles are once again in full force here in southern WI.  Anyone know how to get rid of them?  I bought a bug bag that attracts them into the bag that they cannot get out and I collect a bread bag full every 3-4 days, is disgusting emptying them out every 4 days or so and twist tying the bag and then burning them.  NOt sure if attracting them to the kill bag is good or bad since it attracts 100,000's of those little buggers closer to our garden?  One beetle goes into the bag every 5 seconds or so all day long.  Last year I had 5 full plastic bags emptied in a matter of only a few summer months, am sure over 100,000 or more dead and burnt.

BIG problem is they have eaten already this past week or two all the leaves off our strawberries, rose bushes, and have now started on our raspberry and bean leaves.  I spray the plants with NEEM oil and seems to help but not bulletproof,  caught the strawberries too late wife was so pissed she spent weekends pulling out all the weeds around them they had tons of blossoms until the darn robins (birds) came in and devasted all the small strawberries that were looking nice.  Got rabbit problems also and they are pretty tame can almost go up and touch them they do not move until a few feet away from them.  I threw a heavy object at one and skimmed the rabbits back just over him otherwise would have knocked him out for sure, 1 of about 10 roaming around our house.    Speaking of robins,  got one in my garage on raftersl leaving garage door open a few hours,  it will not leave chirping last night gave up and closed the garage door.  I assume since heat index 100 today it will be dead up there somewhere, oh well.

[Patrick]

no cicadas, but past 2 weeks the Japanese beetles are once again in full force here in southern WI.  Anyone know how to get rid of them?  I bought a bug bag that attracts them into the bag that they cannot get out and I collect a bread bag full every 3-4 days, is disgusting emptying them out every 4 days or so and twist tying the bag and then burning them.  NOt sure if attracting them to the kill bag is good or bad since it attracts 100,000's of those little buggers closer to our garden?  One beetle goes into the bag every 5 seconds or so all day long.  Last year I had 5 full plastic bags emptied in a matter of only a few summer months, am sure over 100,000 or more dead and burnt.

BIG problem is they have eaten already this past week or two all the leaves off our strawberries, rose bushes, and have now started on our raspberry and bean leaves.  I spray the plants with NEEM oil and seems to help but not bulletproof,  caught the strawberries too late wife was so pissed she spent weekends pulling out all the weeds around them they had tons of blossoms until the darn robins (birds) came in and devasted all the small strawberries that were looking nice.  Got rabbit problems also and they are pretty tame can almost go up and touch them they do not move until a few feet away from them.  I threw a heavy object at one and skimmed the rabbits back just over him otherwise would have knocked him out for sure, 1 of about 10 roaming around our house.    Speaking of robins,  got one in my garage on raftersl leaving garage door open a few hours,  it will not leave chirping last night gave up and closed the garage door.  I assume since heat index 100 today it will be dead up there somewhere, oh well.

Evert year we go thru this. I place 4 or 5 bags around quite a ways from the garden trying to them away from it. We catch thousands of those things, they do stink after awhile. And the baits have gotten very expensive.

[GiG]

After 17 Years Underground, Cicadas Stage a 2020 Southern Invasion. The big and noisy insects have started to emerge and are looking to mate in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. They break through the ground, like the undead emerging from graves.  As many as 1.5 million cicadas could emerge per acre.  .
So I have thousands of holes in my VA hard clay the cicadas have exited.  No big noise from them yet.
However, I also have hundreds of opportunist yellow jackets who will happily take over the holes in advancing ground nests.  This is so later, when I mow the lawn, they can get all excited and come out and sting me and make me run the 10 flat hundred (again).  
So I've been out discouraging them before they get started.  No firearms, just toxic fluids.
This has been a public service announcement (for out East).

My least favorite bug.  Pricks!

They may want to revise that whole 17 year thing. When InZane was in Morgantown (2016), those bugs were loud as hell all the way acrost WV, could hardly hear the Big Hair Chick yell at me. But that was only like, 6 or 7 years ago (not 17). 

[Jess from VA]

Gig, we (I) absolutely get them more often than every 17 years.

I think the cycles are staggered all over geographically, and I know some times it's a crapload more of them and way more noise than other times.

When they really get tuned up with the crickets at night after wet weather, you need earplugs to sleep.  A bug symphony.

[3W-lonerider]

a few years ago i was riding back home from ocean city md. once i got across the bay bridge the cicadas were so loud i couldn't hear my bike running. hell i couldn't even hear the stereo.

[cookiedough]

no cicadas, but past 2 weeks the Japanese beetles are once again in full force here in southern WI.  Anyone know how to get rid of them?  I bought a bug bag that attracts them into the bag that they cannot get out and I collect a bread bag full every 3-4 days, is disgusting emptying them out every 4 days or so and twist tying the bag and then burning them.  NOt sure if attracting them to the kill bag is good or bad since it attracts 100,000's of those little buggers closer to our garden?  One beetle goes into the bag every 5 seconds or so all day long.  Last year I had 5 full plastic bags emptied in a matter of only a few summer months, am sure over 100,000 or more dead and burnt.

BIG problem is they have eaten already this past week or two all the leaves off our strawberries, rose bushes, and have now started on our raspberry and bean leaves.  I spray the plants with NEEM oil and seems to help but not bulletproof,  caught the strawberries too late wife was so pissed she spent weekends pulling out all the weeds around them they had tons of blossoms until the darn robins (birds) came in and devasted all the small strawberries that were looking nice.  Got rabbit problems also and they are pretty tame can almost go up and touch them they do not move until a few feet away from them.  I threw a heavy object at one and skimmed the rabbits back just over him otherwise would have knocked him out for sure, 1 of about 10 roaming around our house.    Speaking of robins,  got one in my garage on raftersl leaving garage door open a few hours,  it will not leave chirping last night gave up and closed the garage door.  I assume since heat index 100 today it will be dead up there somewhere, oh well.

Evert year we go thru this. I place 4 or 5 bags around quite a ways from the garden trying to them away from it. We catch thousands of those things, they do stink after awhile. And the baits have gotten very expensive.

yah,  probably should put the bug bags on each backside of our lot vs. near our garden.  Today at noon I emptied it since bug bag was full and could see them swarming all over the plants instead.  Last year I had 2 bug bags and every 3-5 days had both of them full, disgusting.   They do stink after full trying to empty the bag into another plastic bag then sealing it off for a day so they die before burning them.  When you burn them they stink really really badly.

wife read up on japanese beetles and they said if you catch them early enough put the powder grub control on your yard  when a grub.  I think that is too late now they are a flying.    also,  they said chickens eat them.  maybe I need to raise chickens in my backyard fenced in? 

WOW,  almost got yard mowed radar said 6 p.m. wind/rain a comin they lie started 515 p.m. had 10 more minutes to get yard mowed but the downpouring rain, almost hail, with strong winds was enough was drenched in 90 degree heat.  NOW,  72 degrees out a near 20 degree drop in 10 minutes, go figure.

[msb]

With the wetter than usual Spring we've had here this year, the skeeters are worse than usual at the start of this Summer, but thankfully other than that we don't really have any of those prehistoric or otherworldly-type bugs some of you experience back East....or the monster Black Flies they have in more Northern parts of this country. As an outdoor enthusiast, bugs that bite in particular suck. Around my place, I just have to keep a lookout for larger, fur-covered "pests" like Black bears, bobcats, and the odd cougar every now and then...

[3W-lonerider]

Inlive in Shippensburg.  10 mile north of Chambersburg.

[cookiedough]

With the wetter than usual Spring we've had here this year, the skeeters are worse than usual at the start of this Summer, but thankfully other than that we don't really have any of those prehistoric or otherworldly-type bugs some of you experience back East....or the monster Black Flies they have in more Northern parts of this country. As an outdoor enthusiast, bugs that bite in particular suck. Around my place, I just have to keep a lookout for larger, fur-covered "pests" like Black bears, bobcats, and the odd cougar every now and then...

not sure which is worse,  bugs or bears?   I thought I would never believe black bears would be found only 15 or so miles from the IL border where I live southern WI but YES,  black bears are coming down south a 100 miles or so now into our area, although still rare.  I saw a black bear walking hiking trails about 15 miles from IL/WI border was in shock had to think what this thing is crossing the trail.  1st thought was black bear but knew there were none in my area EVER.  Few days later heard on the news there is a roaming black bear in our area seen in Monroe WI in town even.  WOW,  guessing same bear as the one I saw about 6 miles away from that town a few days prior.    Now if I see a cougar in WI I will be really in shock....

[Patrick]

Black Bear population growing. Yep. Another of my stories. [ fair warning  ]

40-45 years when we first bought this place, our dentist lived around the corner and raised Newfoundlands. One morning we were just sitting having coffee and saw this big black Newfoundland walking across the field. We just mentioned that one of Doc Abbotts dogs got loose again. About half way across the field it stood up on its hind legs and had a good long look around. It dropped back down on all 4s and continued across the field. We then made an educated wild guess that it wasn't one of Docs dogs.
Every year more Black Bears are sighted in the area. Its gotten that every year some idiot will shoot one in the neighborhood. Its about the same when a moron shot a Bull Moose locally a few years ago. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with shooting Bears or Moose. My problem is where there is not enough of a population of them to warrant it.
But, then again, some jerk shot a horse near here 2 years ago.

[Willow]

... My problem is where there is not enough of a population of them to warrant it.
But, then again, some jerk shot a horse near here 2 years ago.

LOL! And how is the horse population in the area?   

[Patrick]

... My problem is where there is not enough of a population of them to warrant it.
But, then again, some jerk shot a horse near here 2 years ago.

LOL! And how is the horse population in the area?   

  Good point. I guess the horse population is stable [pun intended] enough. I just don't like horse meat.