This is the year of the cicada, or locust, at our mountain in western North Carolina. These insects started coming from the ground about May 23rd, leaving holes a half inch in diameter all over our yard and even in the hard-packed middle of our driveway.
We first noticed them in the pupa stage after they came out of these holes and climbed trees, bushes, fences, and the sides of our house. Some even climbed up my tomato plants. In these places the adult breaks out, flies away, and leaves the exoskeleton hanging.
Exoskeleton of cicada pupa
My Unabridged Websters says that they occur in the eastern United States and that they come in two kinds: the seventeen-year and the thirteen-year varieties. I know ours are the cicada septendecim variety because I remember when they appeared here in 1991.
They lay their eggs in the splits of small branches of growing trees. Then as summer passes the twigs fall off. In 1991 my fruit trees were heavily infested and the tips of many limbs died. In the course of things the winds eventually twist these limb tips until they fall off. Once on the ground the limbs are abandoned by the locust larvae. The larvae then burrow into the ground and stay there for the next seventeen years.
Adult cicada
In 1991 we made VHS video tapes of the creatures and their exoskeletons on trees and, at the same time, recorded their awful noise. There must be many millions of them— if not billions. The sound becomes almost unbearable if you don’t keep reminding yourself that they will all be gone in a couple of weeks.
We used to wake to the sounds of the birds singing, but now the predominant outdoor sound from dawn to dusk is that of the locusts. In fact, a bird call can’t be heard unless you are standing by the tree where the bird is singing. My bride says the birds have stopped coming to the feeders. She thinks the noise is keeping them away. She may be right.
Only some parts of the county are infested with the insect. We happen to live on the rim of a valley in which the locusts are particularly thick. I look for any excuse to drive to town and escape the sound of locusts. It will be good to get back to the usual sounds of summer at our place. (written May 30)
Female cicada gouging a split in bark and laying eggs
Tags: cicada, cicada laying eggs, insects, locust, photographs of cicadas
February 5, 2009 at 3:37 am
Hello, I am wondering if you could please give me some info on how the locust sheds it’s exo skeleton. I am not very well informed on this subject and currently I have a locust coming out of it’s shell in my back yard which looks very interesting. It looks to be a light grey colour with blue on it’s side, maybe wings.
Thank you very much.
Kind Regards,
April.
February 5, 2009 at 9:00 am
April,
The exo-skeleton has a weak, breaking line running from front to back.
When the adult is ready to emerge (shortly after coming out of the
ground) it applies pressure from inside which causes the exo-skeleton
to break along the line. You will notice that all exo skeletons hanging empty after the adult has emerged are ruptured along the line (see the photo of the exo-skeleton).
I am not sure what the colors of body parts are at the time of emerging.
Best wishes.
April 25, 2011 at 11:15 am
April 2011 in Gray, GA – 2 days in a row there has been this very loud siren-like sound. My wife says it sounds more like a ufo from a bad sci-fi movie and that is probably a better way to describe it. The sound gets louder on my land the lower you go. If you cup your hands to your ears to try and pinpoint where it is coming from it is deafening and really rattles your brain. I guess we will be staying inside for the next couple of weeks.