Cicadas are about to show up - any issues in your experience?

[Sophiemom]

What chemicals did you put in? That's probably the cause of the fish dying. The foam could be from spawning.

My husband put in liquid barley and another that breaks down fish poop.

 

[Sophiemom]

@Sophiemom Oh my! What chemicals did you put in the pond? Doubt that was from either spawning or the chemicals, but not likely from the cicadas. So sorry! If you test your water, what are the results of your tests (the number results, not “good” or “ok”.

Do you have little kiddos? Could someone have put soap in the water?

Liquid barley and another that breaks down fish poop. We don’t have any little kids that are here and our yard is all fenced in so I don’t think it’s soap. We’ve had the pond for 19 years and have never had a problem like this. We are testing the water in a little bit.

 

[j.w]

@Sophiemom
So sorry for the loss of all your fish.
Can you find out what that other chemical was? I too think it was the chems.
Lots of dead bugs floating would not kill fish especially that fast. They would have to rot and sit in there for a long time to foul up the water and even then all your fish would not die at once.

 

[Sophiemom]

@Sophiemom Oh my! What chemicals did you put in the pond? Doubt that was from either spawning or the chemicals, but not likely from the cicadas. So sorry! If you test your water, what are the results of your tests (the number results, not “good” or “ok”.

Do you have little kiddos? Could someone have put soap in the water?

View attachment 163749@Sophiemom
So sorry for the loss of all your fish.
Can you find out what that other chemical was? I too think it was the chems.
Lots of dead bugs floating would not kill fish especially that fast. They would have to rot and sit in there for a long time to foul up the water and even then all your fish would not die at once.

This is the other chemical that he used

 

[Lisak1]

I wouldn't refer to either of those as chemicals - barley is natural and the other is bacteria.

And since the foaming started first, I don't think that I would suspect what you added as the culprit. I think a massive amount of cicadas rotting in the pond could definitely upset the apple cart. Especially in what appears to be a smallish pond with a large fish population.

 

[Sophiemom]

I wouldn't refer to either of those as chemicals - barley is natural and the other is bacteria.

And since the foaming started first, I don't think that I would suspect what you added as the culprit. I think a massive amount of cicadas rotting in the pond could definitely upset the apple cart. Especially in what appears to be a smallish pond with a large fish population.

I totally agree with you!! Thank you!!

 

[Lisak1]

This whole cicada thing has been so interesting. We're here in the midwest where we were told the emergence would be massive, so I joined a few Facebook groups to see what and when to expect them to show up. Thus far we haven't seen a single one here at home, but both north and south of us have had massive numbers. It seems to be very localized in neighborhoods, or even from one block to the next. My son lives 50 miles to the south of us in a suburb that is like an epicenter for cicadas - they've had weeks of near constant cicada love songs and flying, crawling, dying cicadas. The noise is deafening, even from inside the house, and non-stop.

Anyway, in these Facebook groups there are three types of people - those who LOVE them, those who DESPISE them and those who are just reporting what they are seeing without bias either way. The cicada lovers are absolutely MILITANT about the fact that the cicadas will cause no harm - "they don't BITE! They don't CHEW! They are HARMLESS!" If anyone posts a single photo or comment that the massive amounts of cicadas are damaging their plants, flowers or young trees, the cicada LOVERS go insane - "THAT'S SQUIRREL DAMAGE! LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD A WINDSTORM! YOU NEED TO WATER THOSE HOSTAS! THAT'S NOT CICADAS!" They bang the drum so loud for their cicada love it's like they can't see the forest for the trees.

And when the few of them who are willing to accept that MAYBE those ONE MILLION CICADAS on that one hosta plant may actually be causing that damage they say SO WHAT THE PLANT WILL COME BACK CICADAS ARE SO BEAUUUUUUUUUTIFUL! haha! It's been extremely interesting to observe. They shame people for mowing their grass and share stories of how they search for the cicadas that need their "help" climbing trees or righting themselves. Just literal goners for cicadas. Very odd.

Anyway, having said all that, I do think any creature in mass quantities will upset the an ecosystem. If you've smelled a pile of decaying cicadas, you know they are creating SOMETHING when they rot! It's a smell like no other.

 

[j.w]

This whole cicada thing has been so interesting. We're here in the midwest where we were told the emergence would be massive, so I joined a few Facebook groups to see what and when to expect them to show up. Thus far we haven't seen a single one here at home, but both north and south of us have had massive numbers. It seems to be very localized in neighborhoods, or even from one block to the next. My son lives 50 miles to the south of us in a suburb that is like an epicenter for cicadas - they've had weeks of near constant cicada love songs and flying, crawling, dying cicadas. The noise is deafening, even from inside the house, and non-stop.

Anyway, in these Facebook groups there are three types of people - those who LOVE them, those who DESPISE them and those who are just reporting what they are seeing without bias either way. The cicada lovers are absolutely MILITANT about the fact that the cicadas will cause no harm - "they don't BITE! They don't CHEW! They are HARMLESS!" If anyone posts a single photo or comment that the massive amounts of cicadas are damaging their plants, flowers or young trees, the cicada LOVERS go insane - "THAT'S SQUIRREL DAMAGE! LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD A WINDSTORM! YOU NEED TO WATER THOSE HOSTAS! THAT'S NOT CICADAS!" They bang the drum so loud for their cicada love it's like they can't see the forest for the trees.

And when the few of them who are willing to accept that MAYBE those ONE MILLION CICADAS on that one hosta plant may actually be causing that damage they say SO WHAT THE PLANT WILL COME BACK CICADAS ARE SO BEAUUUUUUUUUTIFUL! haha! It's been extremely interesting to observe. They shame people for mowing their grass and share stories of how they search for the cicadas that need their "help" climbing trees or righting themselves. Just literal goners for cicadas. Very odd.

Anyway, having said all that, I do think any creature in mass quantities will upset the an ecosystem. If you've smelled a pile of decaying cicadas, you know they are creating SOMETHING when they rot! It's a smell like no other.

Just glad we don't get those things here! We are pretty bug free here and I'm so thankful. A few spiders and sparse type of bugs but nothing poisonous either. Skeeters are not our friends tho but I don't even see many of those on our property. Fish eat all the babies and frogs grab up any flyers. Yay!

 

[JMJ]

We only get the even-year variety here, basically the same numbers all the time. Always fun to watch the Mississippi kites cat and eat them mid air.

 

[Wildneg]

I have had only a handful in my skimmers. We have them flying all over and on the trees. My kids have been grabbing and throwing a few in the pond for the one blue fill we got to keep the Minnie population in check. He sits and waits then boom... It's gone.

Yesterday we had a storm come with and before, the winds kicked up. A bunch of cicadas were blown and a bunch started falling in the pond. My 3 koi and then the other fish I think is a goldfish with no color .. started picking them off. So I think I've had many in the water but they don't sit long enough to make it to one of the skimmers.

My water has been ok though outside of some greenish tint. Past week I couldn't see bottom (4.5 feet) but last few days it's finally clearing some.

Fish are happy, water is happy (so far). Will have to keep an eye out.

 

[Mmathis]

We’re only going to get our usual yearly crop (NW Louisiana). They haven’t started yet, though. I usually mark on the calendar when I hear the first cicada of the year. My son used to “collect” cicada carcasses when he was little. Every once in a while, I’ll be going through some of his stuff and still come across a cache, LOL!

 

[Wildneg]

Spending a little time with the feet dangling in the pond watching ... And ya, the koi are just patrolling the water and then once one drops in, fighting over it. I swear they are more round then 2 weeks ago. Got some videos I can try posting.

I also see just wings floating around... Looking around till the skimmer catches then. They are out here devouring then.

The minnows are all hanging out grabbing left overs too. It's the wild West out here haha... I could watch them all day.

 

[JMJ]

We’re only going to get our usual yearly crop (NW Louisiana). They haven’t started yet, though. I usually mark on the calendar when I hear the first cicada of the year. My son used to “collect” cicada carcasses when he was little. Every once in a while, I’ll be going through some of his stuff and still come across a cache, LOL!

I heard the first ones calling yesterday on my end of the state while I was doing yard work. Between the sound of cicadas and heat index over 100° it’s officially summer in south Louisiana

 

[Mmathis]

@JMJ Ooh, gonna have to keep my ears open!

 

[LHB]

We had a brood a few years back. Honestly, I didn't really notice them in or around the pond at all. Other than the noise, that is! Oh, and one of my dogs spent the entire time rooting around in the woods like some little pig on a truffle hunt, gorging herself on them.

HAHA I can see that and I love your explanation. I've been saying my cat thinks they are hors d'oeuvres on the wing. I bought a decibel meter app for my phone as I love the noisy critters. I had 85 decibels of cicada song last year.