ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Whether we like it or not, cicada are coming.
Brood X, also called the Great Eastern Brood, has spent the past 17 years growing underground. As periodical cicada, the brood last emerged in 2004 and is expected to take flight in May and June around most of the eastern United States and the Midwest.
In anticipation of the large cicada emergence, the city is suspending its tree planting efforts, according to a notice from the city.
The city also put together this website to help community members prepare for the flying hoard.
Although they aren’t harmful to people, female cicadas deposit their eggs in trees. The website recommends protecting younger trees with mesh, netting or polyolefin fabric to keep cicada from making slits in branches and trunks. Because these noisy insects crawl up from the ground, make sure the covering is secured around the trunk of whichever tree is being wrapped. Coverings should also be stapled to prevent gaps as cicada can crawl into openings as small as half an inch.
Find steps for wrapping a tree here.
Residents are discouraged from using insecticides as they areinneffective and could harm other insects or pets, the website says.
Want to know more about Brood X? Read this: 17-year cicadas to emerge in Michigan this spring: Everything you want to know