Cicadas in the Low Desert

DESCRIPTION:

Cicadas arise through 1/2 diameter holes in the ground in May to late June as odd-looking nymphs that have been feeding on the roots of trees and shrubs. The nymphs climb up walls or trees and emerge as adults, leaving the cask skins of the nymphs clinging to the base of the walls or tree trunks. The adults are approximately two inches long, with large wings that fold over their backs. Cicadas have chunky bodies and bulging eyes. They fill the air with a cacophony of vibrating ribbed plates through August. The male cicada may be the loudest insect known, the mating sound can be heard as far as 440 yards.

DAMAGE:

Symptoms:  Prosopis (mesquite) branches die from the tip back for 1 - 2 feet. Branches show bumps that look like tiny knife cuts.  They are regular in spacing and extend for a distance of 4 - 10 inches along the branch.  This is caused by the saw-like ovipositor of the female cicada cutting a small slit in the tender branches and depositing her eggs in the slits.  The damage causes the branch tip to die and even fall off.  When the eggs hatch, the nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the soil in search of food.

MANAGEMENT:

No pest management for cicada damage is necessary.  Rather, it should be considered a natural pruning process that does not harm, and may actually be beneficial to, the tree.