with locusts—even the early Colonists thought they were a locust plague. There are actually 30 different “broods” of cicadas, some have a 13-year life cycle and are mainly found in the south, while most have a 17-year life cycle and are mainly found in the north—but there is much overlap to their distribution. In Pennsylvania, all are of the 17-year variety. Adults are 1 ½ inches long, and the clear wings have pronounced veins. Both the eyes and veins are reddish. Another type, the Dog-day cicada, is larger, black, and the wing veins are greenish. They appear every year in late summer.

The adults are poor flyers, and after emerging the males start their constant “singing”. The females are silent. They do not feed on leaves, but may suck plant sap from young twigs and sprouts. Most of the damage they do comes from the egg-laying process. The female will slit twigs to make her deposit, and the damaged twigs will lose their leaves and eventually die and break off. Damage to orchards can be considerable. Also, birds are greatly attracted to cicada outbreaks, feeding ravenously on the insects. 1.Antenna- small 2.Eyes- compound 3.Head- small and broad 4.Legs- 6 5.Wings- clear with veins 6.Thorax- yes 7.Petiole- none 8.Abdomen- short and broad 9.Color- brown 10.Other- poor flyer

Life Cycle

Females mate and lay 400-600 eggs in slits made in the twigs of over 80 different types of trees. The eggs hatch in 6-7 weeks, and the nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the soil. They remain there for the next 17 years, sucking plant juices from roots, but not really doing much damage as they go through five instars. They are found from 2-24 inches underground. At the end of the 17 years, they head upward, mature, and wait to emerge. They crawl about a foot up trees and shrubs, cast off the nymphal skin, and become adults. The whole brood emerges over 1-3 days, usually in late spring or early summer. Females can mate again in 10 days, starting the life cycle all over.