why cicadas are bad?

As you can hear, the Brood X cicadas are now screaming in trees across the country after 17 years underground.

Despite their emergence, you may still have some questions.

We're here to help answer them.

No, they just might seem like it when they are flying into you.

Cicadas have five eyes, according to Cicada Mania. Cicadas have two obvious compound eyes and three ocelli, which are believed to detect light and darkness.

Nope. Cicadas aren't equipped to sting like bees or wasps. They do have prickly feet that could prick your skin if held.

Cicadas won't affect your gardens or plants because they don't chew on things.

According to Cicada Mania, a cicada’s mouthparts are in the shape of a straw, which can pierce rootlets, roots and branches. They drink sap from trees or stems.

More:Here's how to keep up your yard care during the Brood X emergence

Yes. After cicadas are done drinking sap (also called xylem), they pee out the excess fluids, Cicada Mania said.

More:Brood X cicadas, emerging after 17 years underground, pee together. A lot.

While they may look like albino cicadas, the white and fleshy-looking bugs are just young versions of the Brood X cicadas.

When cicadas crawl out of the ground, they're called nymphs. After they crawl out and latch onto something, they begin to molt.

The nymph's skin splits open and the mature adult cicada emerges. When it emerges, the cicada appears white. It's only temporary.

The cicada's exoskeleton will begin to harden and turn black, like the adults we recognize. Then they'll crawl into trees where they continue to harden.

Albino cicadas? The white cicadas you see are just young Brood X

Periodical cicadas emerge in huge groups called broods. There are 12 broods of cicadas that emerge every seven years and three broods that emerge every 13 years, according to Michael J. Raupp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of Maryland.

Although the name may sound ominous, the story behind the name is fairly simple. Broods are differentiated with Roman numerals, and Brood X is the 10th brood experts have tracked.

Blue-eyed cicadas?:They're rare, but not worth $1,000

More:Are cicadas harmful to your pets? Maybe if they eat too many.

Andrew Zimmern, creator of the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” franchise, said the insects have a bold flavor.

“They’re earthy, loomi (sour),” Zimmern said. “They’ve been living in the ground for 17 years – kind of like the taste of the forest floor. It’s a strong taste, but not in a bad way. It stands up to the big flavors of garlic and ginger.”

Hungry? Cicadas are on the menu as Brood X's arrival has some foodies buzzing

The cicada has the longest life cycle of any insect.

Periodical cicadas from Brood X have lived underground in wingless nymph form since 2004, about a foot or two down, feeding on sap from tree roots. They're not dormant while they're down there.

Cicada Mania said they are active underground, tunneling and feeding.

Many believe they live underground as a strategy to avoid predators.

Brood X: Why 'trillions' of cicadas set to emerge after 17 years have an ominous sounding name

Cicadas, the small insect with a strikingly noticeable sound, were in the news in 2021 and 2022 due to their reappearance. AZ Animals says the periodical cicadas that have made a buzz on news outlets are from North America. The Eastern and Southeastern U.S. are home to Brood X.

Cicadas come out in mass swarms to reproduce to survive their many predators, including “cats, dogs, birds, foxes, raccoons, and other insects,” scientists say.

Are cicadas dangerous? When exactly do the evasive bugs come out of hiding? What should you do about them?

Cicadas explained:All of your cicada questions, answered by experts

Just Curious?:We're here to help with life's everyday questions.

Cicadas are not dangerous. They do not bite or sting, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. They are not harmful to “humans, pets, household gardens, or crops.”

The EPA does not recommend using pesticides to keep cicadas away. Pesticides are “generally ineffective” against cicadas and, regardless, the sheer amount of cicadas will inevitably replace any warded off with pesticides.

Cicadas can be dangerous to young trees, though. The EPA explains how cicadas lay their eggs in small tree branches, potentially harming the tree. To protect your maturing saplings, cover them in mesh or netting to keep the insects out. On the upside, larger trees are not at risk.

Your “leaves, flowers, fruits, or garden produce” won’t be eaten by cicadas. Some sap may be eaten from trees and shrubs.

Keep your belongings secure:Here's how to keep cicadas out of your stuff

Cicadas are insects ranging between one and 1.5 inches long with a wingspan “twice that length,” says the EPA. They can be identified by their black bodies, red-brown eyes and orange-veined wings. However, their most noticeable feature is their “loud courting sounds.”

Britannica confirms male cicadas make their “ear-shattering” noises to court females. They can synchronize their songs with other cicadas to attract female cicadas, as well as establish territory.

There are over 3,000 species of cicadas, AZ Animals explains, and their infamous sounds can reach an astounding 90 decibels, “comparable to a jet airliner landing.”

The EPA assures readers their pets are safe from cicadas, noting they are neither poisonous nor venomous. Your dog or cat may eat cicadas which is okay if it’s a small amount. Should your pet eat a larger quantity of cicadas, this can cause “an upset stomach or vomiting.”

Humans can eat cicadas, AZ Animals says, as they are similar to crickets. Cicadas should not, however, be “consumed by people with seafood allergies.”

Remember Brood X cicadas?There may be a few more stragglers that emerge this year

Cicadas, specifically “Brood X,” come up from their underground homes every 13 to 17 years, according to Prevention. Their last appearance was in 2021 (some stragglers appeared in 2022) and they won’t reappear next until 2038.

National Geographic explains out of the 3,000 different cicada species, only seven are “periodical cicadas,” meaning they come out every 13 to 17 years.

For months, people have been slightly obsessed with the coming emergence of Brood X. This massive group of cicadas is already being spotted in the eastern U.S., with many more to come as summer approaches.

Cicadas, in case you’re not familiar with them, are loud, bulbous-eyed bugs that come out of the ground after a set period of time to make lots of noise, mate, eat, and lounge just about wherever they feel like it. There are different types of cicadas and each kind comes out on a different schedule.

What makes Brood X unique is that they’re 17-year cicadas, meaning they emerge after nearly two decades underground. Brood X cicadas last surfaced in 2004—and they won’t make an appearance again until 2038, making this year’s emergence a pretty big natural phenomenon.

With all of those cicadas coming your way, it’s only natural to have some questions about what they’re like, including whether they can bite (they are a bug, after all). We asked entomologists (a.k.a. bug experts) to explain what you need to know.

There are two groups of these insects in general: annual cicadas, which come out every year, and periodical cicadas, which make their debut every 13 to 17 years.

Cicadas start out as eggs that are laid in trees by adults. Once they hatch, they fall to the ground, where they burrow into the soil. From there, they eat fluids from the tree’s roots as they grow. At some point, depending on the type of cicada they are, they come out of the ground as adult cicadas.

Brood X is actually made up of three different species: Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecula, says Frank Meek, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager at Rollins.

These insects are big as far as bugs go: up to two inches long. Periodical cicadas also have black bodies, orange wing veins, red eyes, and six legs.

No, you will not be bitten by a cicada nor will it seek you out and attack you, says Howard Russell, M.S., a board-certified entomologist at Michigan State University.

In fact, they can’t even bite you (or your pets) if they want to. “Their mouths have no mandibles—or jaws—and they have no physical characteristics like a stinger with which to defend themselves,” says Timothy Best, a board-certified entomologist and technical manager at Terminix. What they do have, though, is a drinking straw-like appendage coming from their mouths that they use to suck up sap—but that won’t hurt you.

“Cicadas are not dangerous to people, animals, pets, or structures,” says Godfrey Nalyanya, Ph.D., associate certified entomologist at Ehrlich Pest Control, adding that they’re also not venomous and don’t pass on diseases.

To be fair, though, cicadas also have several sharp and pointy parts on their body that could make you think you’ve been bitten if you happen to handle one, Russell says.

If your pet happens to eat a cicada, Best says you shouldn’t panic. “Cicadas are not poisonous,” he says. “Dogs and cats might try to eat cicadas, but the insects alone do not pose any serious risk to them.” However, your pet might get an upset stomach, Best says, “as the exoskeleton may be difficult to digest.”

Cicadas are pretty harmless as a whole, but there are some caveats. One is that their nymphs (young cicadas) like to feed on young shrubs and saplings. The females also slice into twigs to lay their eggs.

“Females may damage young broadleaf trees and shrubs when they lay eggs in the ends of small branches, which normally kills the branch above where the eggs are laid,” Russell explains. This can result in sections of dead leaves in trees, so if you recently planted new trees or shrubs, you may want to cover them before the cicadas arrive.

However, Meek says that potential harm to newly planted trees will be “mild to moderate,” pointing out that established trees will be just fine.

As for your grass, cicadas will not harm it, Nalyanya says. The only potential damage might be cicada chimneys (or holes)—small dirt structures in the ground—that these bugs create when they emerge. “When large numbers of cicada nymphs emerge from the soil, exit holes may be noticeable in a lawn,” he says. “The holes may be unsightly, but do not permanently harm the turf.”

As for the noise they create? While you’ll definitely hear it, Nalyanya says that “the sound decibels they produce are not strong enough to cause hearing damage or loss.” Instead, Meek adds, the noise will be similar to that of a “low-flying airplane or lawn mower.”

Ah, nature!

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Cicadas are not harmful to humans, pets, household gardens, or crops. Periodical cicada adults are about 1-1.5 inches long and have a wingspan twice that length. They have black bodies, large red-brown eyes, and membranous wings with orange veins. Cicadas are often noticed due to adult males' loud courting sounds.