I am seeing a lot of news about a huge quantity of cicadas emerging this year. Is this cause for concern? DK

You are correct, there have been a lot of news stories this year about the 17-year cicadas that are going to emerge in various parts of the country. I say parts of the country because most of the stories are about Brood X which can be found primarily in the northeastern part of the country.

Oklahoma is home to at least 12 species of cicadas which includes Brood IV that are of the 17-year cycle variety. However, Brood IV was active in Oklahoma in 1947, 1964, 1981, 1998, 2015 and won’t be back until 2032. Even though it will be a few years until our 17-year brood emerges, the sounds of cicadas will still fill our nighttime summertime air. 

In Oklahoma, we are most familiar with what is called the Dog-Day Cicada. Dog-Day Cicadas have a life cycle of between 2 and 5 years. The cicada sounds we hear on Oklahoma nights coming from the trees are actually the male cicada singing to attract females. Males produce this sound by rapidly beating their wings against their abdomen. Specialized organs called tympana on each side of the abdomen help to amplify the sound of this beating. Cicada mating calls have been recorded as loud as 108 decibels which is pretty close to the same sound level as an automobile horn from about 3 feet away.

After the male’s singing has attracted a willing female, the female cicada lays her eggs into twigs and small branches using a saw-like egg laying structure called an ovipositor. After about 6 to 7 weeks, the small nymphs hatch and drop to the ground. They then burrow into the soil, sometimes several feet deep, where they live out the majority of their lives growing through several growth stages called instars. This process can take up to 17 years, depending on the brood.

Once fully developed, the cicada nymphs dig out of the ground at night, leaving an exit hole about the size of a nickel. They then climb up on to a tree, fence, or low plant where the adult cicada emerges from its final nymph stage leaving that light brown shell or exoskeleton, we are familiar with behind. These adults can live 5 to 6 weeks during which the process of finding a mate begins once again.

While both the nymphs and adults do suck sap from trees, they typically cause very little damage. They are no danger to our vegetables or flowers. So, enjoy all the news about cicadas and know that our 17-year brood will be emerging in 2032.

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org

Photo: Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org