# Cicada invasion!



## Brink (Jun 22, 2013)

These critters live underground for 17 years, this is the year they are coming out to mate. In the past, they've been called plagues of locusts, they're appearance is like a grasshopper. 

The east coast is covered with swarms of cicadas, interesting thing, they are not in or around my town,

Last weekend, Moma Brink and I went for a hike. While on rock scrambles, we noticed the trails looking like someone drilled thousands of 1/4" holes everywhere. 

Coming down off the mountain, we took an easy route through the woods, that's where we found them. By the millions! A male mating call can reach 90 db.


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## davduckman2010 (Jun 22, 2013)

Brink said:


> These critters live underground for 17 years, this is the year they are coming out to mate. In the past, they've been called plagues of locusts, they're appearance is like a grasshopper.
> 
> The east coast is covered with swarms of cicadas, interesting thing, they are not in or around my town,
> 
> ...


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## Brink (Jun 22, 2013)

davduckman2010 said:


> havent seen them yet here in ohio but the make good bass bait , hookem in the rear toss them out there they will do the rest .  duck



I bet, and they're easy to catch.


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## brown down (Jun 22, 2013)

when these come off its the largest natural fertilizer at one time. learned that from the DVD set Planet Earth :lolol:
i have been working in NJ and they are in full swing. its like hitting a small bird on the highway 
windshield is a mess and its one after another :lolol:


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## Brink (Jun 22, 2013)

brown down said:


> when these come off its the largest natural fertilizer at one time. learned that from the DVD set Planet Earth :lolol:
> i have been working in NJ and they are in full swing. its like hitting a small bird on the highway
> windshield is a mess and its one after another :lolol:



I haven't run into them while driving, strange. I bet they make a mess. Better keep my face shield down when riding.


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## Mike1950 (Jun 22, 2013)

90 db - Better talk to OSHA about those little suckers and fine them.:rotflmao3::rotflmao3::rotflmao3: Sorta ugly also- you would think the bass would be full with millions of them flying around!!!!


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## Kevin (Jun 22, 2013)

I know the experience well. I guess it's a regional thing not nationwide, because when Terry and I got married in Maryland in June of 2004, it was the 17 year invasion of them there. We had an outdoor ceremony and the sound was so deafening, in the video some of the vows can't be heard over the chirping - if you can call it that, more like screeching. They were everywhere like you said but not millions I think billions. It was like a sci fi picture. Really pretty cool. We felt like they coming out to celebrate our marriage with us. We didn't even have to hire them or feed them. Well they did help themselves to the regions foliage.


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## phinds (Jun 22, 2013)

Kevin said:


> I know the experience well. I guess it's a regional thing not nationwide, because when Terry and I got married in Maryland in June of 2004, it was the 17 year invasion of them there. We had an outdoor ceremony and the sound was so deafening, in the video some of the vows can't be heard over the chirping - if you can call it that, more like screeching. They were everywhere like you said but not millions I think billions. It was like a sci fi picture. Really pretty cool. We felt like they coming out to celebrate our marriage with us. We didn't even have to hire them or feed them. Well they did help themselves to the regions foliage.



I had similar experience in MD in 1987 (Aside from the marriage ) --- just amazing zillions of them and my then-3-year old was fascinated collecting the shells after they left them all over the trees.


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## SDB777 (Jun 22, 2013)

Maybe you should catch a bunch and incase them in some PR resin(clear) and make bottle stopper blanks out of them?


We have them here all the time, just blends into the background noise. Wish it was just every 17yrs.....





Scott (nasty little bugs) B


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## Kevin (Jun 22, 2013)

Yeah I'm starting to wonder about the every 17 years thing. Maybe Cicada math is like dog years or something.


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## phinds (Jun 22, 2013)

Kevin said:


> Yeah I'm starting to wonder about the every 17 years thing. Maybe Cicada math is like dog years or something.



I read somewhere that there are actually more cycles than the 17 year one, but that's the REALLY REALLY BIG one.


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## jimmyjames (Jun 22, 2013)

We have cicadas here all the time year round every year, maybe our cicadas just like being above ground all of the time.....


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## LoneStar (Jun 23, 2013)

There are different species of locust (we never called them cicadas). I think most of them breed every year, but there are types on the East Coast that just hatch at 13 and 17 years. 
I actually enjoy the sound of them. Reminds me of being a kid, hot dry summers playing in the shade of horse apple trees. Although now that I think of it, buzzing locusts, stinking horse apples and texas heatwaves all kind of suck. The joy of being young and ignorant. Bliss.


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## HomeBody (Jun 23, 2013)

I shot these pics a few years ago when we had our outbreak. They make a slit in the ends of tree branches and lay their eggs. I had a lot of damage to trees. Glad they don't come any more often than they do. Gary
[attachment=26616]
[attachment=26617]
[attachment=26618]
[attachment=26619]


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## Kevin (Jun 23, 2013)

LoneStar said:


> There are different species of locust (we never called them cicadas).



I never even heard of a "Cicada" until 2004. When I called them locusts Terry knew what I was referring to because she was reared in Texas, but her kids were raised as yanks bless their hearts (they have since been Texa-fied) and they didn't have a clue what I was talking about. :i_dunno:


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## Brink (Jun 23, 2013)

I never knew of these things until this year. Still haven't seen one around town, or at my job 20 miles east. But 10 miles nw, there they are.


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## LoneStar (Jun 23, 2013)

Kevin said:


> LoneStar said:
> 
> 
> > There are different species of locust (we never called them cicadas).
> ...



Same with horse apples... It took me awhile to figure its the same as Osage Orange, Bois D'arc etc. They were always just horse apples growing up.


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## Kevin (Jun 23, 2013)

Same here. Did your dad ever ask you if you wanted to see how a horse eats a horse apple? Damn that hurt. I only fell for it once.


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## LoneStar (Jun 23, 2013)

Kevin said:


> Same here. Did your dad ever ask you if you wanted to see how a horse eats a horse apple? Damn that hurt. I only fell for it once.



I must have missed that one. But I wondered why horses didn't eat them, they were horse apples after all. I tried force feeding one to Blue once, he was having none of it, I'm probably lucky I didn't get stomped.
So how do horses eat horse apples ?


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## Kevin (Jun 23, 2013)

Most horses love to eat them. Ginger (my dad's last horse) couldn't get enough. You got to keep your fingers clear though. 



LoneStar said:


> So how do horses eat horse apples ?



That has to be shown in person.


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## LoneStar (Jun 23, 2013)

Kevin said:


> Most horses love to eat them. Ginger (my dad's last horse) couldn't get enough. You got to keep your fingers clear though.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thats funny, the 2 or 3 horses we had around wouldn't touch them. I kind of figured they all were that way.
I will be sure never to ask you how a horse eats a horse apple in person


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## Kevin (Jun 23, 2013)

LoneStar said:


> I will be sure never to ask you how a horse eats a horse apple in person



You're way too big for me to pull it off lol. 

How you do it is form your hand into a pincer shape with thumb on one side and other fingers bunched together on the other side, into a two-pronged claw like a crab. Then grab the unsuspecting child, you know, the one that you asked if they want to know how a horse eats an apple and they said "yes!' because all kids are curious, and place your "claw" just above and behind the knee cap area where all those nerves are bunched together, and squeeze until they scream with painful delight. 

It's kind of the muscle equivalent of a funny bone ding when you hit it right. This will only work oncce because they will never forget it. My sister was a glutton she used to say "Dad show us how a horse eats an apple again!" My repsonse was  :bye2:


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## Brink (Jun 23, 2013)

I'm really hoping a Texas horse apple is way different from a ny horse apple


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## LoneStar (Jun 23, 2013)

Brink said:


> I'm really hoping a Texas horse apple is way different from a ny horse apple



Yeah. They're bigger, of course.


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