Mythbusters: Cicada Edition

With cicadas being so prevalent, we've heard all kinds of things about them. How many are really true?

If you live in Virginia, you've seen - and heard - cicadas. They're big, they're loud, and they are usually unwelcome. Throughout the years, we've heard all kinds of claims about cicadas. We'll tackle a few of them below.

Myth 1: Cicadas Shed Their Skin Like Snakes

This is pretty much true, although it's called molting instead of shedding. When cicadas emerge as adults, they molt out of their exoskeleton, which can stay intact and look like the outer "skin" of the cicada. Cicadas will leave this exoskeleton behind in order to grow larger. This process occurs several times as they grow into adulthood. Once they are ready for their final molt, they will climb to a vertical surface, often a tree trunk, and break out of their exoskeleton. Once they've reached this stage, they are able to fly and reproduce.

Myth 2: Cicadas All Look The Same

The answer to this one is a little more complicated. All cicadas are "true insects" with six legs, two antennae, and two wings. There are over 190 varieties of cicadas in the U.S. and thousands more worldwide. In addition, the stages of growth from nymph to adult also look vastly different. Nymphs start out white and legless, eventually transforming into the adult form you think of when you hear the word "cicada".

In Virginia, we have about 25 of those species and there are distinct differences. Some types of cicadas -periodicals- have bright red eyes. Others - annuals- have green eyes and use green camouflage to hide from predators. But, in general, most adult cicadas look similar to the picture above.

Myth 3: Cicadas Are Just A Kind Of Grasshopper

This one is false. Although cicadas and locusts (which are a type of grasshopper) are often mistaken for each other, they are not related. Locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets are a specific type of insect in the Orthoptera order. Cicadas are more closely related to aphids and planthoppers, all of those being Hemipterans.

Myth 4: Cicadas Scream Really Loud

Cicadas are loud, but not because they are screaming. The noise you hear is actually a mating call, made by the vibration of the male's tymbals - organs on either side of the abdomen. The sound is amplified by their mostly hollow abdomen. Although this takes almost no effort on the part of the cicada, the result is dramatic. In fact, in a full-scale emergence the noise can reach about 100 decibels. This level of noise can actually be harmful to human's hearing, being equivalent to standing next to a lawnmower, chainsaw, or motorcycle. Cicadas usually don't call at night, so nighttime sounds you are hearing are probably due to something else, like crickets or frogs.

The females and some of the males will also make a sound with their wings, but this isn't the sound you think of when you think of cicadas.

Myth 4: Cicadas Only Hatch Once Every Seven Years

This is false, but it's not necessarily that far off. Cicadas are really unusual in their life cycle. There are annual cicadas, which hatch annually as the name suggests. There are also "periodical" cicadas that hatch on a 13-year or 17-year cycle. These broods will live underground as nymphs, feeding on tree roots and hiding from predators, until they are ready to emerge.

Now, does this mean we will only see cicadas every decade or so? No. In addition to the annual cicadas, periodical cicadas broods can overlap and cause larger populations in various years. Last year, in the summer of 2024, for example, we saw the hatching of overlapping broods leading to a "cicada-geddon" in Virginia. This summer will see a periodical brood hatching in addition to the annuals, but it will mostly just affect the southwestern portion of the state. Good news for Richmond area residents, the next major hatching in the Central Virginia area won't be until 2030.

"Per data from the USDA Forest Service, Central Virginians won’t have to worry about cicadas for a few more years." – Associated Press, WRIC News

Myth 5: Cicadas Are Really Harmful

Cicadas can't bite or sting; they are not poisonous. Cicadas, while they don't look very nice to have around, usually won't even do too much harm to your yard or trees. About the worst that will happen is that the females will cut small slits in branches to deposit their eggs, which can lead to wilting or dying back of those branches, especially in young trees.

Fun fact: cicadas are actually being used for research purposes to advance technology in the medical field, as their wings repel bacteria and provide natural antibiotic. Their wings also repel water, giving some basis for new water-repellent commercial products.

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