Brood X cicadas are emerging after 17 years just in time to serenade Mom this Mother’s Day. Jerome Grant, a professor of entomology and plant pathology at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has shared some fact-or-fiction statements about cicadas. As a bonus, in this video he shows how to cook with insects.
Fact or Fiction?
Cicadas are harmful to humans and animals. Fiction
Cicadas are beneficial to us. Fact
Periodical cicadas have the longest developmental time of any insect in North America. Fact
Cicadas are toxic. Fiction
Only male cicadas produce sound. Fact
Male cicadas produce sound mainly to attract a mate. Fact
Cicadas will damage or kill plants in your landscape or garden. Fiction
Cicadas can be eaten by humans. Fact
Brood X cicadas will be everywhere this year. Fiction
Cicadas are locusts. Fiction
99 percent of the life of a periodical cicada is spent underground. Fact
Male cicadas produce sound similar to a lawnmower or a low-flying airplane. Fact
Cicadas can bite and sting humans. Fiction
Cicadas occur every year in Tennessee. Fact
After this spring, Brood X periodical cicadas will not be above ground until 2038. Fact
Cicadas can damage trees. Fact
At least three cookbooks are dedicated to cicadas as food. Fact
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CONTACT:
Heather Peters (865-974-8674, heatherpeters@utk.edu)
Patty McDaniels (615-835-4570, pmcdaniels@tennessee.edu)