- Cicada tempest in Tennessee
- Trees face irreparable damage
- Overcrowding threatens nurseries
Tennessee is about to experience a cicada upheaval not seen in over two centuries.
According to experts, the red-eyed, nosedived-winged insects hibernate for either thirteen or seventeen years; however, both are expected to return to the state shortly, with one million per acre.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees will likely be irreparably damaged by the infestation, warned a professor at Tennessee Tech University.
These two groups, Brood XIII and Brood XIX, last co-emerged in 1803 during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency and the Louisiana Purchase.
Professor and horticulturist Douglas Airhart of the university stated, “The 17-year cicadas emerged in 2008, followed by the 13-year cicadas in 2011.” They are indeed planning to return.
Therefore, 2024 and 2025 will be consecutive years of overcrowding, so I am working on this project: the nurseries will be inundated for two straight years.
“In certain instances, the trees sustain irreparable damage, defined by insurance companies as damage beyond recovery to a condition that cannot be sold.”
More than 3,000 cicada species are known to exist.
Cicadas form fifteen main “broods” in various geographic regions, each with a life cycle of thirteen to seventeen years.
The tenth is Brood X, where X represents the Roman numeral for ten.
Cicadas are known to increase from the ground, with specific years witnessing seasons filled with trillions of them, primarily found in the eastern, southern, and central regions of the United States.
It is unclear when these organisms emerge from the water, but researchers believe they do so to avoid predators.
Cicadas are giant, brown, wingless insects with bulbous eyes.
They are nymphs for most of their existence, consuming tree roots while living in the soil.
During the time they spend underground, the insects do not hibernate.
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Among the longest-lived insects globally, they undergo four moults and various growth phases before reaching the surface.
After forcing their way to the surface, the organisms mate and generate noise reaching 100 decibels.
The interesting invertebrates moult and deposit a crusty brown outer covering on trees, boosting their growth by 1.5 inches.
Airhart states that periodic cicadas “simply overwhelm an area” when they emerge.
Due to product loss, tree nurseries incur financial losses of millions of dollars.
