Cicada invasion

Here in Middle Georgia you cant miss the sound of the Cicada's LOUD buzzing in the surrounding trees! I happen to love the sound but there are a lot of people who have really been complaining and are trying to get rid of them by using insect spray....LOL!!! Not going to happen folks!
It took this particular years Cicadas 13 years to mature under ground . So 13 years ago must have been a really good season for the mating game! I do not remember the trees being this full ever!
Here is some really bad photos of the casings left behind once they morphed from baby pupae into grown cicada.

These casings are everywhere! Ive never seen so many at one time before.

Here are the casings on the underside of birch tree leaves. The actual adult Cicadas are way HIGH in the tops of the trees singing their hearts out.

Heres one of the Adults. As kids we used to call them June Bugs and we would tie strings to them and let them fly , they would make the craziest buzzing noise as the flew!

When we lived in Alabama years ago my son would often complain in the summer about how loud the trees were. Of course I caught a cicada and showed him why the trees were loud. : ) We have them here in Texas too but not nearly as many (so our trees are somewhat quieter.)

Well I cannot remember them ever being this loud before. I know I have never seen this many Pupae shells, on everything and there are little holes in every inch of ground that they emerged from.
I would guess the sound , which continues all day long, is not unlike putting your ear next to the water Hydrant and hearing the water run.

I just cannot get my camera to focus in on one , but here is the Red Eyed Buzzer.

Wow, he's kinda cute. Don't think I've seen that color before.

I think they are like most of nature a little miracle, and yes they are cute. They are also completely harmless. People do not have to worry about them at all, they will be gone soon just as abruptly as they came!

Wow! they hadn't began to buzz here yet. I do agree, they are cute.

Ladypearl, I am always astounded at how little the younger kids know about nature. Tying a string to them was like letting the lizards clamp on to the ear lobes like dangling earrings.

Write it on the calendar, 13 years from now... 2024 Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

HaHa.........Its a date! I'll be 75 and dont think I wont be lookin out for them!!! LOL!!!

I dug one up while turning soil last week. Never done that before and I've turned a lot of dirt.

podster, as kids I can remember my sisters and I playing with cicadas but we never thought about tying a string to them. We also played with the green lizards that have the red throat (for showing off to the girl lizards), but we, LOL, were not brave enough to use them for earrings. Yes, a grasshopper or cricket, a lizard or crawdad, they all made great toys. We didn't hurt them and always let them go since Mom didn't want them in the house at night.

I'm sorry... short memory here. That was Eufala that tied the string to them.

We were not scared of handling many bugs or critters. Kiddos these days would say EWWWwwww!

Not my kiddos! On the other hand, Boston born SO is a wimp. The kids do not take after him. I was thinking "on" this post during the night (3 a.m., when I think best) So maybe a moment to spin a true yarn...

Years ago we invited friends (a couple) to spend a weekend, in the country, at Maypop cottage. She always has such perfectly pedicured nails and toes; so perfect our pony mistook her index finger for a carrot when she pointed in the direction of his muzzle. It took us a time to convince him otherwise. This was the way the weekend started. It was auspicious.

The next morning I'm up bright and early making coffee, baking a blintz casserole and putting together a fresh fruit salad when she comes dragging downstairs. I ask how her night was. She replies she is exhausted and did not sleep a wink. I was baffled. We have cottage stay guests who pay to stay with us and always say how comfortable the beds are, how glorious the country air is, and how peacefully they slept. So I asked, "What was the problem?" "Well" she answered, "there were those cows mooing away all night long and then there is that bull that keeps braying. I don't know how you get any rest here at all". I thought about it for a minute. We do have cows in the area but none near the house. I then realized she was hearing the cicadas (cows) and the bull frogs (bull braying) down at the pond. We are still friends all these years later but she never came back (and I'm glad). Dyed in the wool city girl, I reckon.

Toooo funny Laurel!!!!
Im a true country bumpkin I guess, even though I was raised in Savannah! I cant wait for the sound of The sweet humming of Cicadas and bullfrog drumming to let me know that Spring is definitely here, and the sweet sweet sound of Mourning Doves , morning and evening ....ahhhhhh the South! Now we wait for the beautiful Fire fly season to let us know that Summer is here!

They are deafening here!! A few is nice, but it sure is hurting my ears!!LOL

Great story (memory) Laurel !! It is hard to believe but there are people who have never heard a cow moo, donkey bray, or frogs croak (sing) (I love to hear the spring peepers that live along creeks and ponds in the deep south.) We can all say "Thank God I'm a country girl!" : )
Yep EFGeorgia, there certainly is such a thing as too many cicadas in an area at one time. We used to try squirting the trees with the water hose or throwing rocks at the tree to scare them away. Don't recall that it was very successful, though....

This message was edited May 5, 2011 4:53 AM

Glad you enjoyed the yarn and speaking of yarns...I've been out in the garden knitting sweaters for the veggies. It's supposed to be 36 degrees tonight! What's with that in GA, in May? I've used 150' of weed block to wrap twenty five tomatoes (bless you Digger for leaving it here at last year's RU).. There are twelve more tomatoes looking for homes in the ground. They'll have to wait until Friday when it warms. We won't be hearing any cicadas what with the house all cozyed up for the night.

brrrrr, it's going to be 40 here tonight. What's up with that? My maters should be ok. And my little cucumber plants. Braves are all bundled up and winning too.
Love the yarns Laurel.

I am visiting my kids in Nashville, TN & the cicadas are almost a plague!! They are even lining the doorposts of my son's apartment! VERY loud - I don't mind, having lived in the country in GA for many years - but people here are complaining like crazy!!

Well this last week this area was invaded by loads of flies. Cicadas can be annoying, but at least they don't come in the house and land all over everything. Lately I've been seeing those kind of wasps that kill spiders hanging around the house and shed. Now why couldn't they kill houseflies instead? We like the spiders here (garden spiders, many different kinds of jumping spiders, wolf spiders) and don't want to get rid of them -they help by killing the flies!

It is 107 degrees here now. How I wish we could have some of those cooler nights (but not freezing) like you all had (mentioned in your posts May 4 th.)

We were pushing ninety but it rained. It's in the low seventies right now in N. Ga.. It will be in the low sixties tonight. I love the weather here.
Laurel

The cooler weather came back down here too after the storms moved through night before last! Loving the fresh cool air! My central is broke right now so this has been heaven .
the Cicadas have all but gone! Just a few left hanging around to sing in the Summer!

Sounds like I need to move to Georgia!

I think there is an available opening for a new resident. :>) The day was a tad warm, in the eighties, but I've had to sleep under a light blanket because of cool evenings. It's lovely.

Back on topic...why is it so quiet at night? No cicadas or tree frogs. The bullfrogs down by the pond make only an occasional sluggish burp. I've heard the whip-poor-wills just a few times. What are they waiting for? Also, where are the fire flies? On the wildlife front, I can report, the chiggers are thriving!
Laurel

LOL yes those hateful chiggers are digging in!

Awww, I saw my first Firefly of the season tonight! Soooo pretty!
I cut grass late yesterday and tonight....yep... Chiggers are doing their thing! Mosquitoes too!

It has been hot enough here to make a person consider moving, that's for sure. Bless the man that invented air conditioning!
In the springs of 2007 and 2008 we had lots of fireflies since we had plenty of rain. This year I have not seen a single firefly. But on the upside, we haven't had many mosquitoes either.
In Alabama we used to wonder that too, why some days the cicadas were so loud, and other days were quiet - never did figure it out. Yep, chiggers are always hungry. Some people use mens stick deodorant rubbed on their legs below the knees to help keep the chiggers from crawling up their legs and biting them - so if DH ever ends up with a deodorant stick that he doesn't care for the scent, use it to ward off chiggers. You gotta put it on thick enough that it won't rub off easily. Vaseline or Vick's vapor rub will work too.

There has been a warp in the weather here. We are in the nineties during the day and sixties at night. We are resisting air conditioning and suffering the grueling daytime heat because (1) it is incredibly cool in the evening (it's beautiful right now), (2) I hate closing up the house and feeling "false air" only to open it up again at night and feel real air, (3) the cicadas/tree frogs and such are singing again, (4) okay, I admit it I'm cheap but we really are green and Maypop and it's all about being as close to zero footprint as possible. I did spend time in that awful heat today line hanging and taking down laundry so as not to use the dryer, (5) we are admittedly so sixties it's pathetic. This last reason is the only one that sticks.
Laurel

I wasn't sure which year this was for cicada.. Not the 14th here for sure. We moved here in 2000 and it was either that year or next that we had cicada song.

I feel foolish... regarding the casings..... I thought the bugs came out of the ground with the wings looking like eufaula's last photo....and it was that "outfit" that got shed after singing for a few days and mating, etc..... I've been trying to spot one naked! Growing up, we tied string to our version of 'June Bug' --japanese beetle. We would smash lightening bugs on our selves to try to glow in the dark. So sorry for that now. Horrid kids.

Cicadas are on a fourteen year cycle but there are some doing their thing every year. Kids are magic. Adults do far worse damage.

Our wildlife "songs" are loud tonight. Can't explain the change.

The 'blue ridge brood' is every 17 years. And the 'southern brood' is every 13 -this year and then in 2024. Some years just a few come out each year...that is why we can hear some each year. I found this great explanation -wikipedia ...magicicada

Yep, we open our windows up at night as much as possible too (I admit it -we're addicted to oxygen/fresh air) and put off running the central air conditioner as long as possible. But when the outside temp is 90 or higher, we give in and turn it on. Our last electric bill was $81 but you can be sure the next one will be much higher (due to running the air conditioner.) I also hang clothes on the line to dry (sometimes it only takes 30 minutes for them to be dry.) To make good use of water, l catch the rinse water when washing dishes, dump it in 5 gallon buckets and pour it around bushes, trees and flower beds. Is that cheap or is it "green"? : D

I buckled to AC about an hour ago. To heck with the cacophony of Mother Nature. It's pushing ninety in the shade.

You are very green, Ladypearl.

97 here! Central on the Blitz, repairmen dont call back, service call charge equals the amount I need to pay for two window units.......What do you think I did???
I try to be green with a lot that I do... but when it comes to living in an aluminum incubator with no air...... just cant do it!!

Window units are gaining in popularity here too. Especially after the hurricane damage. Folks want a room that they can air condition by running a generator if needed. Not to mention the price of a/c repair these days.

I don't mind the hot and do better when acclimating myself to the warmer temps. To be outside working and come in to cool and back out in the heat is harder. Saw 103° today and yes, the a/c was and still is on.

Green is good Ladypearl. I too save rinse water to water plants. Also use the water from the pet water bowls to water with when I give them fresh water. I do that due to water conservation and this blessed drought we have endured. I also have a couple of rain barrels for additional water for plants (or flushing if the power is out). I am line drying my laundry in my empty greenhouse this summer. The shade cloth prevents dark clothes being sun bleached and like you said, they dry ever so quickly. I started that as I am not happy with my washer. It doesn't spin clothing as dry as I like. Hated to use the dryer that much. You go Ladypearl girl!

Back to cicadas for a minute, I have heard you can actually tell what the temperature is by their chirping. Or was that crickets?

I don't know about figuring the temperature with cicadas, although it may be possible. Always heard that you are supposed to count how many chirps a cricket makes in one minute and then do some math (which I have totally forgotten) and end up with the correct temperature. We used to do that when we went camping just for the fun of it.
Its the one good thing about hot, dry weather, the clothes don't need to stay on the line long.
That is a good idea to hang your clothes in the greenhouse. Wish I had a greenhouse to do the same.
I hear ya Eufaula (and MayPop), when it gets that hot, nevermind being green! Turn on the air! Hope you get your cenrtal air fixed. We had to buy a new one a couple years ago because the original one was over thirty years old and sounded like a dinosaur. The new central air and heat systems are much more energy efficient and quiet, thankfully (they are just so expensive though!)

But like you, Podster, we don't turn it way down because the temp. change going from in the house to outside would be too much and we wouldn't want to go out and do yard work. With this weather we are having here in Texas, it makes a person want to cover their whole yard in shade cloth!
We still don't have any cicadas buzzing yet. Maybe they are vacationing back east.... : )

There are four things in life I will spend money on . Air conditioning , heat , grandkids , my comfort . I don't look at cost or how green the first two are as long as they add up to the last one . LOL
lkidding aside , talked to my brother in Abilene Tex today and for two days , it's been 107-109° How did my grandma cook in an un airconditioned house there,back then ? I don't remember that kind of heat there when I was a kid .