17 year cicada! oh SNAP.

Dinix

Member

• May 18, 2008

• #1

The last time these little buggers came out of the ground by the millions i was barely old enough to know what cannabis was... 17 years later though, i've got some kids in the backyard.. is there anyone here who's been growin long enough outdoors that remembers this egyptian plague? and most importantly, do they go after cannabis to lay thier eggs? They've been known to kill a small tree outright. When they lay thier eggs, they put a hole in a branch about every 30mm... This would obviously be very bad for a young cannabis plant..

*crosses fingers*

I've got like 2 days till they come out by the millions...

 

bongasaurus

king of the dinosaurs

Veteran

• May 18, 2008

• #2

hmm, that sucks

i didnt realize it was their year. should be interesting...

 

LazLo

Member

• May 18, 2008

• #3

Dinix

Went thru that last year. There were swarms and NOISE beyond compare. I won't tell you how many cycles of them I've experienced, but the good news here is.....the year after their invasion, their holes, shells and carcasses are great for growing anything. The holes for aeration and the shells and carcasses add beneficial bacteria to the soil. They lay their eggs beneath bark of trees, the pupae hatch, fall to the ground and burrow in for 17 years. Where will you be in 17 years?




A face only a mother could love. BTW, don't try using them as bait. They almost dissolve and last for 1 or 2 casts. And I never even got a nibble after going thru a baggie of them.

Good luck this season.

The true test of good manners is to tolerate the bad manners of others.

 

Dinix

Member

• May 18, 2008

• #4

what about laying thier eggs on cannabis though? do i have anything to worry about? The kids don't rightly have much "bark" to speak of.

 

G

Ganico

Active member

Veteran

• May 19, 2008

• #5

I don't understand this thread, we have them every year here

 

Dinix

Member

• May 19, 2008

• #6

yes we have cicadas every year. but there are different species within the genus. This particular species only comes out every 17 years. To make up for the lack of time spent above ground, they come out in the millions. They've been known to kill smaller shrubs and trees (you should see all the net bags over peoples shrubs in the neighborhood) by laying eggs like a sewing machine along small branches.

My concern lies with millions of cicadas laying billions of eggs, is one going to mistake my little ones for a tree branch & kill the seedling?

 

simpleword

Member

• May 19, 2008

• #7

LazLo said:

BTW, don't try using them as bait. They almost dissolve and last for 1 or 2 casts. And I never even got a nibble after going thru a baggie of them.

Click to expand...

Ha, the fish are probably already so burnt out on them by the time you fish with them. Have you ever seen the seasonal forest episode of Planet Earth? It shows all the animals munching on 17 year cicadas until they drop, and then they keep coming.

 

Dinix

Member

• May 19, 2008

• #8

precisely. I'm actually planning on cooking some with them. I'll never have the chance to try it again for 17 years (if i make it that long).. I'm also going to collect the dead ones & compost 'em for next years organics.

 

L

luciano28

Member

• May 20, 2008

• #9

The Brood 9 17 year cicada came to my area a few years back(2002 I think?). Man, a couple days it was like a biblical plague, they were bouncing off my windshield like raindrops. I had a couple plants that year and I didnt see any damage. Looks like it is possible we will get a different species of cicada this year too, hope it isnt like 2002. For about 3 days it was bad, I mean real bad, I didnt want to leave the house, they were everywhere. They were black with red eyes.

 

Saibai

栽培して収穫しましょう!

Veteran

• May 20, 2008

• #10

They were black with red eyes.

Click to expand...

Jesus. That sounds freaky. At least they don't sting you I suppose.