Cicadas!

[poconojoe]

MRSCLEM brought up the subject of cicadas in another thread. Thanks for that.
I had no idea they were emerging this year in the eastern United States.
I figured I'd start a topic on them so we can all prepare for their arrival.

So, here are some questions:

At 1.5 million cicadas per acre, how are they going to affect our ponds?
Good or bad?
Are my fish going to eat them?
Those things are going to be all over and in the pond. Should I keep a net on the pond? I don't think the net will keep them out. Maybe double it up and hope for the best.
I guess I'll be scooping those creepy crawlers out of the pond for days or even weeks.

Looking forward to hearing ideas and or input.

 

[addy1]

They don't tend to get into the water, they climb trees bushes, etc . Make horrendous noise to attract a mate. I am not going to worry about the ponds. They are emerging right at our only 6 weeks of nectar flow for the bees, that worries me. If they destroy the flowers our bees will be in trouble.

But any small trees, new trees, are in trouble, you can net them, but I am not going to. We don't have that many small trees. Too many things to worry about. Survival of the fittest.

 

[Mmathis]

They’re not usually a problem. They stay in the trees. If I do find any in my pond, I scoop them out and feed them to the box turtles. If you’re lucky, you can spot one being carried across the yard by a “cicada killer” wasp!

 

[poconojoe]

I really don't remember cicadas being all that bad last time here in Pennsylvania. I do remember a couple of cycles back, I think 1970, when I lived on Staten Island, NY. It was pretty bad there.

I recall the gypsy moths doing more damage here in Pennsylvania. You could actually hear them chewing on the trees when they were in the caterpillar stage. There were tiny balls of their poop all over the place. The trees were devastated.