Aside from doodabs of cicada knowledge, some people may be very practically wondering: “What do I do about these bugs, anyway?” The answer is, “Nothing.” As mentioned, cicadas are harmless. They don’t bite or sting (and actually can’t), aren’t aggressive at all, don’t swarm like locusts, are bad fliers that can only travel a few hundred feet before calling it quits, and exclusively feed on tree sap. Basically, they’re the most benign insect you could imagine — and they even stay out of sight for 13 or 17 years at a time.
That being said, some folks will find cicadas creepy, no matter what. If there’s enough of them in one area they might leave behind a carpet of crunchy exoskeletons on the ground, which yes, is a bit off-putting. Or, their empty husks might stay stuck to trees. Or, a squirrel might grab a husk and race off to have a little snack — who knows? And when cicadas are dying after their brief three-or-four-week stint out of the soil, they tend to fall to the ground, land belly-up, and stay completely still aside from the occasional twitch, which can be a little disturbing or startling.
And yes, lots of people don’t like the sounds they make. But cicadas aren’t even harmful to gardens, including young plants, because they don’t eat plant matter. At most, they might drop to your porch or sidewalk when their lives are nearly over.
