Cicadas

slsh

member since 1999
Who knew a gazillion bugs could be so *doggone* noisy???? Anyone else feel like they're losing their mind with these critters? It's making it really hard for me to work, LOL. Their buzzing just seeps into my brain until it's all I can hear.

They starting coming out on 5/22... I think they're only supposed to live a couple of weeks, right? The last week and a half, it sounds like there is a mob about 2 streets over. I can only be thankful that for some reason the trees in our yard weren't massive infested.

Diva, being the studly chick that she is :princess: , brought home a baggy last week just chock full of shells, plus a couple of dead bugs. For some reason I didn't really think they had red eyes, but sure enough, they do. There's a tree over by their school that is filled with albino cicadas.

And one of husband's friends actually did roast one and eat it - and he agreed that they do taste much like almonds. I'm just going to take his word on that. :faint:

Thank goodness they only come out every 17 years. I plan to be long gone from IL next time around (or maybe just pleasantly hard of hearing!!).

Who else has these lovely little beasts?
 

skeeter

New Member
I have a great way to remember when they show up around here - NF was born in a cicada year! There will be a brief outbreak on the east side of the county next year - 17 years after NL was born.

We live in an area of town with lots of old trees, so basically we don't go outside the entire month of June when the little buggers are out. And you can't carry a conversation in the house if you have the windows open, they are so loud. I am not exaggerating, the dead bugs are inches thick on the sidewalks!

The last time (3 years ago) they were out, husband was redoing the entire front yard, and we figured out the rototiller must make a sound close to their mating call. They were stuck all OVER him - and while they don't bite, he says their claws are nasty little things.

Oh - do watch the dogs if you have them. There were stories on the news about dogs getting upset stomachs from eating too many bugs. Ours didn't eat many, but they did "hunt" them!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Honestly, I STILL have nitemares about the d amn things. :surprise:

I'll never forget my first experience with them. Melissa was three and Travis had just turned one. Most of that summer in Dayton the outside world was nothing but cicadas. :nonono:

The noise was deafening, and nearly drove me insane. If you dared to go outside you basically walked into a cloud of the disgusting things. (they aren't small by the way) Not to mention you were stepping on a carpet about 2 inches thick of their carcasses.

There was no escape. That was 17 years ago as Travis will be 21 tomorrow.

Now down where we are now, so far I haven't seen any. (thank you God) And as I recall husband's brother said they weren't bad down in this area 17 years ago. They saw some but nowhere near the horrendous amount we had up in Dayton. *shudder*

So I'm hoping we won't have much if any to deal with.

I swear, back where I lived in Illinois (central) no one's had to deal with them like this.

To those who have been decended on..... Believe me, you have my deepest sympathies.

(((hugs))))
 

SRL

Active Member
There was an emergence a few years ago of cicadas that were on a different cycle. We went camping in Indiana and it was *loud* but the people who'd been the week before said it was nothing compared to that.

There's all sorts of recipes for cicadas floating around but some kids did get sick eating them the last time.
 

dreamer

New Member
I have been eagerly awaiting the emergence of the cicadas here...(northern IL) BUT I have not seen a single one! I am in a rural county, and it is very wooded, and I expected to see a lot. But thinking back, 17 years ago we also had very few here at our house. Not sure why. Our local paper has even commented on it that there aren't any and noone knows why?
I grew up in Cook County and 34 years ago and I remember they were so thick on the ground....and I went camping with GS in tents and we were thrilled to have the thick carpet of them.....LOL.
I was hoping to see some for my son for homeschooling....Maybe we should take a field trip?
I have never eaten one, but I have heard if an area has been sprayed with lawn chemicals or weed killers, fertilizers or insecticides, if you eat the cicadas you could get ill. - and so could your pets if they eat any.
 

mattsmom27

Active Member
Ewww! That would freak me out!!! Ever heard of shadfly's??? Well they only exist in a few places, they come out of the bottom of lakes in cycles once a summer for a period of several weeks. Only from SUPER clean lakes, and wouldn't ya know we have one befitting the nasty buggers here. They cant hurt you, they have no mouth (seems kinda cruel, not that I sympathize with them mind you ... YUCK!) and they die in about 24 hours. But they just keep COMING. They cover every surface, walls, windows, streets. They swarm towards light so at night every street light is covered in them and they fly into your face, land on you, cover cars etc. They are truly disgusting. Even worse, the entire city has to hose down walls and sidewalks and then sweep up dead ones nearly daily as they pile up. Streets get greasy with them. And the very worst, the entire city smells like dead fish from the rotten smelly gross things! Completely different problem, equally icky it sounds like!
 
I'm with you, slsh. I'm in one of the burbs that got inundated with these bugs. When the heck do these things leave? I'm getting sick of walking outside and having seven of them fly into my face. It's like, do you not see my body walking towards you? They have absolutely no landing pattern whatsoever.

I am fascinated by them. Tink and I watched the week before they emerged. We saw the holes in the ground, then we saw tons of them in the shell for 2 weeks. Then we started seeing them white. Oh how cool. Finally we started to see the mature adults. But it is getting old. And I cannot believe how LOUD they are. I hear them in my house over the A/C and the television.

Tink was collecting them daily for awhile. Now she dodges them. She says they are like small birdies.
 
K

Kjs

Guest
Afraid to comment, may jynx myself. Have seen very, very few in Southeastern Wisconsin. Hoping they will not come. Worried that the warmer weather will bring them.

Myself, couldn't imagine eating one.

There are few of them. Saw ONE on the door screen. Several a few days prior. Puppy was throwing up the other day. She eats everything. We spend half our time outside with her taking stuff out of her mouth. She seems to find dead birds every place we go. If we take her swimming she is picking up all the dead fish. i see her pawing at the ground. Maybe she ate some.

Other dog is to picky to eat junk. Strickly a gourmet dog. lol.
 
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