Don't kill the Cicadas

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.
vinny11950

vinny11950

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
May 17, 2010
1,796
Eastern Long Island, NY
Went to Home Depot and Lowes only to find Ortho and other companies advertising their pesticides to kill the Brood II Cicadas that are now emerging. This is silly to do because Cicadas are harmless. They fly around for a few weeks looking to have some fun, some sex and then they die.

More importantly, look closely at those pesticides and you will see they pretty much kill all other insects in your garden, including bees, which already are experiencing the collapse of their colonies.

In addition, using these pesticides offsets the natural balance in your garden by killing off the good bugs (wasps, for example) and invites the ones that are resistant to the pesticide (tree beetles, another example) that cause damage to your garden.

Plus, who knows how it might affect garden birds.

Below is a cool link to a tracking map of Cicada sightings.

(broken link removed to http://www.magicicada.org/databases/magicicada/map.html)

And below is a good Cicada website.

http://www.cicadamania.com/

That's it for my rant. Thank you for reading it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeldrDave, raybonz, woodgeek and 3 others
My dog eats them like pop corn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: raybonz, Hearth Mistress, will711 and 1 other person
Cicadas use a pretty neat evolutionary trait called Predator Satiation - they overwhelm predators with more than they can eat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_satiation

In this case, your dogs are the predators having themselves snacks. Another reason not to hit them with the pesticides as your pets might then eat them.
 
Spoken truly like person whose yard doesn't look like a Cicada battlefield right now. ;lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ashful
vinny11950 said:
In this case, your dogs are the predators having themselves snacks. Another reason not to hit them with the pesticides as your pets might then eat them.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't spray waste of time & $ besides my dog got a flock of Grackles having a feast right now:cool:
 
Spraying them would be just plain stupid, a waste of money, and unnecessary pesticide pollution. They're not doing any damage, and they'll all be dead soon enough. They can be kind of a mess, but that's gonna happen regardless of whether you kill them prematurely or just let them live out their short above-ground life cycle. Rick
 
It would take a C-130 tanker.

[Hearth.com] Don't kill the Cicadas
 
OMG Agent Blue! !!!

Cicadas will never procreate again. Neither will you or your offspring. ;lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrotherBart
Well said Vinny. I don't kill anything unless its threatening me or my family. They've been popping out of the ground
every 13 or 17 years for many many years. Live and Let Live.
 
Agreed... but what's "good" about wasps? I'll leave cicadas alone, but ALL wasps and hornets are killed on sight!
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeldrDave and ScotO
I want to kill that yellow jacket that nailed me this afternoon. Right between the knuckle and nail on my left ring finger. Man that hurt/hurts! Came in and put baking soda on it and went back out and it was waiting wanting to fight. Did battle with a broom for a while and finally thought it was gone. Got in the truck to move it and it started attacking the windshield right in front of me. !!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: vinny11950 and Ashful
Joful said:
Agreed... but what's "good" about wasps? I'll leave cicadas alone, but ALL wasps and hornets are killed on sight!
Click to expand...

I hate wasps too, but they do eat lots of pests that harm your garden, like aphids, caterpillars, flies, and other little creatures:

(broken link removed to http://inlandbeemail.com/index.php/swarm-removal-mainmenu-46/swarm-info-a-faqs-mainmenu-77/190-are-wasps-beneficial-or-just-dangerous-and-annoying)
 
BrotherBart said:
I want to kill that yellow jacket that nailed me this afternoon. Right between the knuckle and nail on my left ring finger. Man that hurt/hurts! Came in and put baking soda on it and went back out and it was waiting wanting to fight. Did battle with a broom for a while and finally thought it was gone. Got in the truck to move it and it started attacking the windshield right in front of me. !!!
Click to expand...

Sorry you got stung, Brother Bart. That little guy had it in for you.

Funny how now I am getting Terminix and exterminator adds on my browser.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScotO
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom