cicada question

I also posted this in organic gardening -

Here is my logic:

Cicadas leave exoskeletons

Exoskeletons are protein

Protein = nitrogen

Therefore cicadas = free nitrogen for the compost pile?

Have I completely lost my senses or should I start raking

oooOOOOOOooooo I like that question. I wish I knew so I hope someone comes in soon that could answer this one.

I compost my dog's hair after sweeping it up. I just throw it in the compost pile for nitrogen. Good luck. I'll be watching this too.

I just read today that the exoskeletons and dead cicada bodies biodegrade and are good for your soil adding beneficial amounts of nitrogen. Also, their emergence performs very helpful soil aeration.

I don't know about them being good for compost or not, but all I can say is I HATE these things! There was a time when I thought moles were bad. These cicadas are SWARMING and killing off up to 60% or more of my young trees...trees too big to protect with netting or cheesecloth, etc. The larger trees will be ok but they'll look like absolute [deleted] when the cicadas are done with them. I'm so infuriated at this point I can't see straight. Every day it's worse and worse. I'm commited though to find a chemical to kill off their stupid babies once they drop to the ground and burrow in. I normally don't use chemicals because I don't have to. I'm also going to burn the dead branches. Of course, that won't stop them from coming in from other parts of the neighborhood next time around...but any that I can kill now will make me happy. I don't care what anyone says. They aren't cute, tasty or interesting at all...they're a worthless menance to trees and shrubs. I'd just assume they all get some bacterial infection and every single one of them die (everywhere on the planet). Maybe I'll look into some milky spore disease that kills off japanese beetle grubs...and maybe some Grubex...who knows. I just want them gone. I haven't been this mad in a long time. Maybe I'll take some pictures when more of the branches die off to show you the destruction. I don't know though...I'm just so disappointed and aggrevated, I kinda hate to be reminded of them and their destruction. They make those little slits in the stems to lay eggs and with a little breeze the stem breaks and hangs there dead. Grrrr! As I was sitting here typing this, I found one of the beasts on my shoulder so I flushed it down the toilet. Man I'm mad! lol

By the way, I don't just have a few of them...there are thousands and thousands of them here. Here's a picture at the bottom of 1 tree where they came up from the ground a few weeks ago...

OMG!. This sure sounds like something to see in person. Wish I was there to see it. I can only imagine based on the picture you provided. Thanks for sharing the pic.

wow - that is a lot.

HOLY COW!!

Mine are going into the compost bin, my mower has the catcher bag and I just throw everything in the bin, this way they are even broken up beforehand. LOL

Hczone6, I feel your pain.I finally went and got some Ortho Wasp Spray because I know that gets even the tent catepillars and HEY , works like a charm! You can even zap them up high and they don't like the film it leaves ! Just went to Walmart and stocked up! ( For you cicada lovers- I have woodlands in the back they are more than welcome to.) The damage they are doing to my young trees is unbelievable! They make fatally, brutal incisions in the branches, lay larvae that feed awhile, then drop to the ground to feed off the tree roots for 17 yrs. Goodnight!

They dive-bomb at people as well. Don't know why.

they don't see well - maybe they think we are something else. I saw one run right into the wall recently

Someone found a blue eyed one. Sure wished I could have seen it.

We got a lot but they didn't bother the garden so we are enjoying a peace treaty

Our water table/well is so shallow that everything we put into our lawn/yard comes back up all over our plants and dogs when we turn on the well water fed sprinklers. Everything, from fertilizers to pesticides. It doesn't just come back up on to my stuff but the entire neighborhood's plants and sprinklers. And now I'm learning that it doesn't stop there. I live a block from the Santa Rosa Sound. There are many pesticides that are highly toxic to fish commonly used for pesky insects. Could you imagine if these washed into the sound. Though we all have our pests to deal with, I think moderation is key if we decide to go the chemical route.

hczone,
I hope you find a solution to your problem. About the only thing that gets me worked up is bramuda grass. I can't think of any other pest/weed that makes me feel the way you have explained above so I can't say that I understand. Nothing at all... (maybe fire ants but a little bit of soapy water does them in)

I thought I would share this with everyone here. I found it interesting. I have learned a lot about cicadas in the past few minutes in trying to find an environmentally friendly solution to hczone's "problem".

http://www.cicadaville.com/