How To Control Cicadas

Periodic Cicadas (top image ) emerge in a 13 or 17 year cycle. Visit http://www.cicadamania.com/where.html for map.
The adults have red to orange eyes, will be 1 to 1½ inches and emerge in late May or early June by the millions.

Annual Cicadas aka dog day cicada emerge every 2 to 5 years, although there is a brood almost every year. These are up to 2 inches long and have dark eyes and green bodies, they emerge in the “dog days” of summer, July or August.

Normally you won’t see cicadas emerge from the ground, but you will find the hard, empty exoskeleton attached to the sides of buildings, trees, etc. The adults mate and die within 2 to 4 weeks, but first, the females inject their eggs into slits in tree branches this is when they can do the most damage.

Many of the damaged twigs will break off and drop to the ground, reducing yield if on fruit trees. Nymphs suck juices from the roots of plants.

Controlling Cicada

HY Indoor/Outdoor and Lawn, Garden, Pet Spray are listed for use on Cicadas. Spray trees and shrubs repeat at 4 to 8 day interval as needed, as long as you see adults.

HY Indoor/Outdoor and Lawn, Garden, Pet Spray are listed for use on Cicadas. Spray trees and shrubs repeat at 4 to 8 day interval as needed, as long as you see adults.
HY Garden, Pet and Livestock Dust may be used on vegetables and flowers to protect them, repeat as needed. HY Bug Blaster Bifenthrin 2.5 can be used on Trees and Shrubs, repeat no sooner that every 7 days, as needed.

FL Broad Spectrum Insecticide also lists cicadas and may be sprayed in nearly all locations, repeat in 7 days.

As always, use Spreader Sticker to increase adhesion to the plant and increasing the residue length.

Cicada Killer Wasps

Cicada killer wasp are solitary digger wasps that can grow up to 2 inches . They don’t emerge until July or August so are not around when the Periodical Cicadas are emerging.

Females “hunt” cicadas upon finding one, she stings it. This sting paralyzes the cicada. The wasp digs a tunnel and drags the cicada into the tunnel and lays a single egg. When the egg hatches it feeds on the cicada then palpates to emerge next year.

If control is desired, sprinkle HY Turf Ranger around the tunnel opening in the evening when the wasp are not active.