By Carlos Medrano Araujo
Baltimore Watchdog Writer Staff
They’re almost here!
A colossal number of cicadas are emerging from underground after 17 years – and Maryland will be an epicenter.
Brood X periodical cicadas’ numbers will be by biblical proportions, expert say, with billions of cicadas joining the local ecosystem during May and June – not just in Maryland, but across almost all the eastern United States.
Gov. Larry Hogan proclaimed May and June as Maryland Magicicada Months to celebrate an event that occurs every 17 years.
The impact of cicadas arriving in Maryland can have great benefits for forests and wildlife, says Paula Shrewsbury, associate professor and extension specialist at the University of Maryland.
While many people may find the little critters annoying (or worse), Shrewsbury said the abundance of cicadas is positive for the environment.
“Cicadas are emerging from the ground,” Shrewsbury said. “They will feed a little on the trees and all the cicadas exoskeleton — shells — will fall to the ground. There will be millions of cicadas’ shells decomposing and providing organic matter and nutrients back to the soil. It is a circle of life.”
When cicadas emerge from the ground, she said they leave holes the size of a dime. The holes in turn erode the soil and help air and water seep into the ground and reach plant roots.
To John LaPolla, an entomologist in the department of biology at Towson University, the huge number of cicadas is a strategy that represents an opportunity for wildlife to feed.
“It would be helpful for a lot of creatures that will eat them,” LaPolla said. “Insectivorous birds and mammals will feed with all the cicadas emerging. In fact, the all-cicada strategy has emerged into huge numbers that overwhelm predators. From that standpoint, birds, mammals, and fishes will be benefit.”
Cicadas are completely harmless. “You can hold a cicada; they do not sting or bite,” Shrewsbury said.
The damage caused to the trees is minimal and related to the rearing of future generations of cicadas, Shrewsbury said, adding that large trees will recover.
“The female cicadas insert the eggs on the twigs of the trees, and this will cause the branches to turn brown. This is called flagging,” Shrewsbury said. “It will happen to a lot of trees. Most trees that have outreaching branches or …larger established trees, they will recover from that damage.”
Some new trees can be damaged when the cicadas lay their eggs, LaPolla said. He said it is important to take precautions.
“The only issue is with newly planted trees,” he said. “If you planted a tree in the last year or two, their branches are small and if periodical cicadas lay a lot of eggs on them, it could potentially damage or kill the tree. If a tree has been recently planted, it is a good idea to put nets of the branches and protect it.”
David O’Neill, interim managing director at the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council, said he is taking the necessary steps to take care of his young trees.
“I’m looking forward to cicadas this year, and I’m not looking forward to the damage they can do to some young trees,” O’Neill said. “I have put some nets on them to protect them.”
Pets can eat cicadas, but you have to be careful, according to Shrewsbury.
“Cicadas do not have toxin on their bodies and there are a lot of animals that will eat them — including humans. Dogs and cats could eat them. We suggest limiting the number of cicadas your pet eat, because it has been known to cause some digestive issues to animals,” Shrewsbury said.
Despite the huge number of cicadas, the future of them must be monitored. LaPolla said it cannot be guaranteed that they will continue to appear in large numbers.
“We do not know if the population is secure,” LaPolla said. “The conservation of cicadas depends on land use patterns. There have been insects in the past that there were a lot, and they suddenly disappeared because of human intervention. On the long term with climate change, we do not know the consequences.”
There is a precedent for the demise of certain insects from the 19th century, when a grasshopper called the Rocky Mountain Locust disappeared because of human population growth.
LaPolla said changing the environment by cutting down trees in the riparian forest probably destroyed the habitat of the grasshopper breed and led to extinction.
There have already been some populations of cicadas that have gone to extinction, and it is believed to have to do with human intervention, Shrewsbury said.
“We currently know there are 15 brood of cicadas,” Shrewsbury said. “Two are known to be extinct: one is brood XI in Connecticut and brood XXI in Florida. We believe the land use patterns and climate change could be related to the extinction.”
Scientists are currently trying to understand and learn more about cicadas, which is why the University of Connecticut launched an app to track cicadas, LaPolla said.
“Cicada Safari is an app developed by scientist at University of Connecticut,” LaPolla said. “They are helping communities’ scientists by sharing information, taking pictures, reporting where cicadas are present – and that is helping scientists have an idea and compare it to past records.”
A group of entomologists from the University of Maryland launched their website, Cicada Crew Brood X, to spread information and help raise awareness about cicadas.
Its leader, Dr. Mike Raupp, has a webpage called Bug of the Week where he dedicates a weekly space to an insect.
This week, it is the cicada!