Use these tips to protect young plants, trees from Brood 19 cicadas

Brood 19 cicadas are starting to emerge and while their characteristic buzzing has not gone to 11 yet as of Tuesday, it now is the time to starting thinking about how to prepare for their summertime height.

Every 13 years much of the state gets to reckon with Brood 19, the largest periodical brood in Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation says. Cicada spotting so far has happened along the Missouri and Arkansas border, near Columbia and St. Louis.

This year is expected to be a doozy regarding cicadas due to a double-brood emergence, the first time in 200 years, USA Today reporting notes. The Columbia Daily Tribune and its sister publication the Springfield News-Leader are part of the USA Today network. Brood 19 and Brood 13 neighbor but don't overlap each other, but come closest near Springfield, Illinois, Cicada Mania notes.

So when cicadas finally do start to become a noisy nuisance how can one prepare for their impacts? Both MDC and Westlake Ace Hardware are offering advice.

Signs of cicadas

Periodic cicadas are different than annual cicadas and there are signs to know when they have emerged, MDC says.

Immature cicadas will open roughly 1/2-inch holes in the ground and possibly build roughly 3- to 5-inch mud towers above their emergence hole. Immature cicadas are wingless and will climb trees to shed their exoskeletons becoming adults (with wings, of course). It is the males who "sing," which starts a few days after their shed.

After cicadas mate, females will cut rough 1/4- to 1/2-inch slits in pencil-sized tree twigs to deposit fertilized eggs. Eggs hatch within six to eight weeks with the offspring returning to underground burrows until the next periodic emergence. Millions of eggs are expected to be laid.

Missouri also has annual cicadas, but they are not at their height until late June and into August, while the periodic Brood 19 is expected from now through the end of June. There are ways to tell the types of cicadas apart, MDC notes.

Periodic cicadas will have black bodies with orange markings and red eyes, while annual cicadas have brown, green and white bodies with dark-colored eyes.

Protecting against damage

Since typical female behavior includes opening a slit on narrow tree twigs to deposit eggs, young trees are most impacted by the periodic emergence, MDC notes.

It is apparent where eggs were deposited due to leaves on damaged twigs turning brown or the death of the twigs. While mature trees won't have any ill effects, young trees and even orchard and nursery trees could be significantly impacted.

So, if a person recently has planted a tree, pesticides may be needed, or a person can use a mesh cloth or netting with less than 1/4-inch spaces around branches and tied close to the trunk, MDC recommends. Pesticide is not recommended on mature trees.

Ace Hardware in its advice for cicadas also noted the mesh cloth treatment for young trees, young bushes, and garden produce, as well. It shared other solutions due to adjacent issues associated with periodic cicadas.

To keep cicadas from clustering in trees, on garden furniture or other structures the easiest solution is a strong-streamed garden hose, the company said.

Another thing to contend with is "cicada rain." In other words, the excess excretions from cicadas after drinking tree sap. It isn't harmful, but it is recommended to cover outdoor furniture and wear a hat when working in the garden, Ace Hardware said. Those with pools should also put down a cover as they are an attractive landing zone for cicadas. Be sure to patch up any holes in window and door screens.

From USA Today: Cicadas 2024: 2 broods to emerge together in US for first time in over 200 years

If a person needs to clean up the exoskeleton remains of cicadas, a handheld and rechargeable shop vacuum can do the trick, Ace Hardware said.

Those with noise sensitivities may want to invest in earplugs or even noise-cancelling headphones, as well, Ace Hardware noted. That way a person can listen to something else over the buzzing in the case of the headphones.

The one good thing about cicadas, MDC noted, is they make excellent bait for fishing.

From USA Today: Cicadas spotted in Missouri as Brood XIX continues to emerge: See latest on sightings, US map

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Conservation department, Ace Hardware give advice on cicada prevention