Cicada Prevention

Balance of Nature provides a thorough treatment for those wishing to prevent cicada invasions, but there are no guarantees for this service.Because the cicada is a flying insect which tends to land extremely high in the treetops, there are not many types of treatments to eliminate them. However, by applying the surrounding brush and spraying the trees as high as possible, there is a chance of reducing the amount of cicadas as long as they come into contact with the chemical.

Waiting in the wings this spring: Ciadas!

Written by Boyle Rice
and Todd B. Bates

Millions of big, noisy bugs likely will emerge soon after 17 years living underground in New Jersey, according to experts.

But the brightly colored cicadas, which could show up as early as this month, are largely harmless, according to experts.

“They are very cool bugs,” said Bill Sciarappa, an insect expert and head of Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County.

They’ve killed some trees on rare occasions, he said, but “generally, this is not an economic pest, and I don’t think this year it’s going to be an economic pest.”

This year’s big “brood” of cicadas — which has been biding its time underground since the first Clinton administration — is forecast to emerge from the ground this spring along the East Coast.

“Spectacular” and “amazing” are two of the words used by University of Maryland entomologist Michael Raupp to describe the East’s biggest influx of the annoying, but mainly harmless, bugs since a separate brood emerged in 2004.

This year’s “emergence” should be quite extensive, as the critters likely will come out all the way from the Carolinas to the Hudson Valley of New York, said John Cooley, a research scientist from the University of Connecticut.

“All the East Coast cities are in the path of the cicadas,” said Cooley, who runs themagicicada.org website, and requests reports from people who see cicadas this spring.

The emergence could include parts or all of the New York metropolitan area, whose nearly 20 million inhabitants might have to contend with swarms of cicadas.

“The greater New York metro area is going to rock with cicadas,” according to Raupp.

Dan Mozgai, a cicada enthusiast from Metuchen, said “the timing depends on the weather. They typically emerge when the soil temperature reaches 64 degrees.”
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