Cicada extravaganza: Big brood to emerge on Cape Cod

Get in the mood for the brood. The cicadas are coming!

This news flash from the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension sets the stage: “This year, parts of Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts will experience a once-in-a-generation event—the emergence of Brood XIV periodical cicadas! The last time they showed up was 2008, and now, after 17 years underground, they’re back to make some noise.”

“Sit back and enjoy the show,” advised Cape gardening expert C.L. Fornari. “It can be quite a spectacle.”

The insects spend a long time getting ready for their big show, living in the soil, sipping sap from tree roots and gradually working through stages of development. For Brood XIV cicadas, the 17th year of life is action time.

According to the University of Massachusetts extension program, “they will emerge from the soil, usually in late May to early June. This may begin when soil temperatures at a depth of 7-8 inches reach approximately 64°F.”

Cicadas “emerge to transform into adults and mate,” according to the National Museum of Natural History. Male cicadas vibrate a membrane on the side of their bodies to attract females and that’s when things can get loud: according to the Nature Conservancy, “the calls can reach 80-100 decibels in volume—equal to the sound of a garbage disposal, lawn mower or a jackhammer.”

But the cacophonous opera is short-lived.  After mating, female cicadas lay eggs in tree branches. With their reproductive mission accomplished, adult periodical cicadas die within a few weeks of emerging. About a month later, the eggs in the trees hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground. The cycle begins again.

Barnstable County officials predict that the Mid and Upper Cape will likely see (and hear) the most cicadas. And any time a big bunch of bugs is in the forecast, residents might wonder if harm might be caused to plants and pets.

According to the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, cicadas don’t eat plants. But young trees can be damaged when female cicadas lay their eggs in the branches. C.L. Fornari said that while general damage to trees is pretty minimal, folks might want to take steps to protect a recently-planted small tree.

Fornari suggests placing a net over such trees, with holes of less than a half inch. “Standard bird netting won’t work,” she said. The nets should be in place by mid-May.

Cicadas are not harmful to people or pets, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They do not bite or sting. The EPA adds that cicadas can provide environmental benefits that include adding nutrients to the soil as they decompose, aerating lawns and providing a valuable food source for birds and other animals. Pesticide use to control cicadas is ineffective and is not recommended.

In the free food department, the American Kennel Club recommends preventing dogs from gorging on cicadas, as the hard exoskeleton can cause digestive problems.

But they are not poisonous and humans sometimes snack on the bugs. According to a Montclair State University press release, “cicadas have a nutty, green, almost peeled shrimp-y look, taste and texture similar to the crustaceans.”

In the release, Cortni Borgerson, an assistant professor of anthropology at Montclair State, provided these cooking tips: “They don’t need peeling or extensive prepping, just pan fry them or parboil and toast them in the oven, and then use them like you would any of their crustacean relatives. Personally, I love them by themselves on toothpicks as an appetizer or in tacos, where you can use the toppings to bring out a lot of their green spring flavors.”

However, folks with shellfish allergies should avoid consuming cicadas, which probably won’t be a very hard thing to do. Just sit back, enjoy the noise, the courtship and the flying circus that is headed our way.