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After 17 years underground, the periodical cicadas of Brood X have sprung awake and begun to leave their burrows.
Over the past few days, several LevittownNow.com readers have reported cicadas have become more and more visible in the area. One reader reported seeing them on Yellowood Drive in Levittown and others said they were plentiful in Croydon and starting to appear in the heart of Fallsington.
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The periodical cicadas emerged after 17 years underground and will shed or may have already shed their crunchy exoskeleton. The bugs will only be around for a few weeks as they emerge, the males will sing their recognizable alarm-like song, mate, and the females will lay eggs before the group dies off.
Brood X is a large concentration of periodical cicadas emerge every 17 years or so. Before making their above-ground debut, the bugs feast on the roots near where they are buried. Their emergence has been noted since the 1700s in North America.
The periodical cicadas have red eyes and might be mistaken for the various species of annual cicadas that come out every year.
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Cicadas are a food source for birds, who will be gorging over the coming weeks, according to the Penn State Extension.
In some places, the cicadas are being used as food for humans, the BBC reported.
Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said the insects don’t bite or carry diseases.
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“While cicadas are generally good for the environment, the females can harm young trees as they cut slits into twigs and woody stems when they lay eggs. To avoid damage, it’s recommended to postpone any new plantings until after adult cicadas have died. Property owners with young trees, less than four years old, are advised to cover them with mesh netting to avoid damage. The best time to cover these young trees is when you hear the male cicadas singing, which is approximately one week prior to females laying eggs,” state agriculture officials said.
“The females have a structure called an ovipositor that they use to actually saw into the wood, and they lay the eggs into that. And then, when those eggs hatch, the little ones fall out, drop into the soil and then begin their life cycle,” Dr. Christopher Tipping, a professor of biology at Bucks County’s Delaware Valley University, told KYW Newsradio.
State agriculture officials advised residents not to use insecticides to cull the cicada population because the chemicals can hurt pets or other wildlife that eat cicadas. Additionally, insecticides can get into local waterways and pollute streams and rivers.
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“Cicadas are a native species in northeast America and, like most native insects, plants, animals, and fish, play their role in our environment,” said Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “They’re here for such a short time, it’s better to take the long view and appreciate the food source they provide to wildlife, as well as the soil aeration they perform and the source of nitrogen their carcasses supply to trees.”
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