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17-year cicadas to emerge
CANFIELD
Later this spring, the western half of the Mahoning Valley will be abuzz as 17-year cicadas emerge, according to the extension office.
The insects are likely to emerge from the ground on or about May 10 and remain active for two to three weeks, said Eric Barrett, Ohio State University extension educator.
“Several warm days and several warm rains could speed that up; or a couple of snowfalls, or some cold, 35-degree rains could slow that down,” he said of the emergence timetable.
The cicadas are 8 inches below the surface; and they’ll emerge when the temperature at that level reaches 65.5 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.
Currently, the soil temperature 8 inches underground is about 42 degrees, he observed.
The cicadas will leave emergence holes in the ground and exoskeletons at the bases of trees.
“It’ll be deafening,” Barrett said of the buzzing during the day.
Another brood of 17-year cicadas will emerge in the eastern half of the Mahoning Valley in 2019, Barrett said.
The cicadas are harmless to people and animals, but a dog or cat that eats too many of them could become uncomfortable, Barrett said.
Cicadas generally don’t pose a problem for larger trees, but Barrett recommends netting for smaller trees and shrubs, so the females won’t damage them by cutting egg-laying holes into their branches.
The 17-year cicadas differ from the “dog day cicadas,” which are a different species heard every August.
When the 17-year variety emerges, “Imagine that times a couple of thousand,” Barrett said.