Chicago cicadas

The areas from which they emerge as a group are referred to as brood areas , said Kacie Athey, professor and specialty crops entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Other parts of the country, including Washington, D. The females, called nymphs, usually emerge in May when soil temperatures warm to about 64 degrees. They usually come out after sunset, leaving behind visible exit holes or cicada chimneys.

They quickly crawl to any nearby structure — preferably a tree or shrub — to eat and lay eggs. So everywhere you go, you get a different song, and it changes throughout the summer. In fact, it can get a little overwhelming to decipher which call belongs to which cicada. Unlike some other states, Illinois contains cicadas of and year life cycles , all seven currently recognized species and five separate broods.

While cicada populations have declined in the past years and some broods have gone extinct , entomologists say new broods are being discovered, which could lead to the discovery of more species. There is a brood emerging somewhere every year. The periodical cicadas found in Illinois tend to be dark brown and black on top with lighter reddish brown patterns at the wing bases. The lower body color is similar to the wing bases. Compound eyes are red with orange major veins in the membranous wings.

The northern Illinois brood, which will emerge in late May , has a reputation for the largest emergence of cicadas known anywhere. Females do not have tymbals and are incapable of producing the same sounds. Susceptible Plants Damage to woody plants occurs primarily when females split the bark on small-diameter limbs and branches for egg laying. Damage Developing nymphs feed on plant roots underground, which can damage trees and shrubs by reducing plant growth.

Remove small, damaged branches to keep eggs from hatching and future populations low. Also, delay planting new trees and shrubs until adult periodical cicadas are gone, usually by mid-July. The use of chemical sprays to kill adult periodical cicadas is not recommended. Using insecticides will also kill beneficial insects that feed on harmful insects and can injure natural predators such as birds, raccoons, skunks, and moles.

Cicadas are edible; they're even considered a delicacy in many countries, as well as in different parts of the United States. Diners therefore are cautioned to limit their ingestion of these "delicacies" to just a few.

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