Periodical cicada Brood X will emerge this spring in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. The last time this brood emerged was in 2004.
What are cicadas?
Billions of insects that look like this:
Some people call them locusts, but true locusts are grasshoppers. These are totally different. Grasshoppers belong in the insect family. Cicadas belong in the crustacean family. The species in the Brood X is called Magicicada septendecim.
When will they emerge?
Typically beginning in May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8″ beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence.
Why do they stay underground for 17 years?
The general consensus is that the long, life-cycle makes it difficult for an above-ground animal predator to evolve to specifically predate them. The emergence of a huge number of these cicadas will allow them to overwhelm predators so enough of them will live on to breed and perpetuate the brood. Remember the old adage: There is safety in numbers.
What do cicadas eat?
Cicadas are herbivores meaning they primarily feed on vegetation. The young ones (nymph) use their modified mouthparts to feed on includes juices and sap obtained from plant roots while the molting cicadas eat twigs.
Trees and shrubs are in more danger than garden and flowering plants because the stems are not strong enough to hold an egg nest. It is the egg-laying that does all the damage. If you are planting trees this year, wait until the fall to plant them. Otherwise, you will need to protect them.
How do I stop this invasion in my yard?
- You can wrap netting, or insect exclusion screens around small trees or individual tree limbs to keep the cicadas off them. You can buy this netting online or in any store that sells landscaping supplies.
- You can put your kids to work and have them pick these critters off by hand.
- You can spray them off with a hose. Just don’t spray the leaves, as leaves will come off. And never use a pressure washer on trees. You will still kill the tree in the process.
- Avoid using pesticides, as the dead cicadas will be eaten by dogs, squirrel, and other animals and thus they will become poisoned as well.
So, what can you do with them?
Here is the good news/bad news part: Cicadas are related to shellfish. They are arthropods just like lobster, crab, and shrimp. Great as long as you are not allergic to shellfish.
They are gluten-free. They are chock full of amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids. They are an eco-friendly food source. And they taste great.
So, channel your inner hunter/gatherer and get busy. Arm yourself (and your kids) with 4 or 5 quart-size Ziploc bags (and a pair of kitchen tongs, if you are squeamish). The first wave of the invasion will be the nymphs. They will be easy to harvest and are quite abundant. Look for trees that have been around since 2004. Newly planted trees won’t produce many results. Some estimates put the number of cicadas at 1.5 million per acre. So, gather all you like. Just be sure to get them early in the morning. It will take a lot of these little guys to make a meal, but it is worth it. If volume is your thing, waiting a couple of hours after the nymphs emerge from their shells might be a sound strategy. Once the nymphs have molted, they plump up right before your eyes. Like magic, the nymphs transform into succulent teneral adults. But be warned, you’ll have a short time to gather these beauties. So, grab them while they are pale white and before their exoskeletons harden. The female tenerals are the real prize, because their abdomens are stuffed full of eggs, Cicada caviar is delicious. Males are hollow and not really worth the trouble.
Once you’ve filled your bags, fill a few more. Afterall, you only get this bounty every 17 years. The next step is storage. Storing is quite easy. Simply remove all the excess air out of the bag and toss them in the freezer. It will humanely kill the cicadas and it will stop the exoskeletons from getting hard.
To prepare your tasty morsels, you will need to boil the cicadas for 5 minutes. This is called “blanching” in culinary terms. It will firm the meat up like a crab, plus it will kill off any parasites or bacteria the critters might be carrying around. Also, you might want to pull their wings and legs off. Some remove the head as well. These parts are edible, but the tend to get stuck in your teeth or can scratch your throat. After they are blanched, you can refreeze them for later or go ahead and fix them up.
So, what do cicadas taste like?
Think shrimpy asparagus. Cicadas feed off the sap of tree roots, so they taste a bit vegetable-like. Of course, when added to a sweet or spicy dish, cicadas will take on the flavor of the dish and are really just used to add needed protein, nutrients, and body to the dish. You can add these morsels to just about any dish. There is BBQ Cicada, Cicada Creole, Cicada Gumbo, Pan fried cicada, lemon Cicada, Coconut Cicada, Cicada salad, Cicada Burgers, New York Style Pizza with Cicada. The sky is the limit, but you can only do it once every 17 years. Perhaps this is why their culinary craze has not caught on.
Cicada Gumbo
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
½ white onion, sliced
½ green pepper, cubed
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ lb. Andouille sausage
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
¼ teaspoon Hot Sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 bay leaf
3 teaspoon filet powder
½ cup sliced okra
1 can crushed tomatoes with juice
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
60 blanched cicadas
2 cups cooked rice
4 Tablespoons fresh parsley.
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, green pepper, sausage, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and continue cooking 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except the cicadas, rice, and parsley) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cicadas, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes or until the cicadas have warmed through. Serve in soup bowls with a scoop of rice on top and a sprinkle of parsley. Serves 4.
Enjoy!