It’s begun: Cicada sightings reported in Will County

Jean Kadar had just wrapped her four young fruit trees with netting Thursday when she spied cicadas on one of her flower beds.

“I thought, ‘Oh, boy, I got that done in the nick of time,’ ” said Kadar, who lives in unincorporated New Lenox.

Kadar said the cicadas are not everywhere in her yard, just in that particular bed. But Carol Kranz of Channahon, president of the Joliet Area Garden Club, has not seen once cicada – yet.

“But I’m sure they’re here,” Kranz said, “just not awake yet.”

Katie Zaban, manager of the Joliet Park District’s Pilcher Park Nature Center, said one of her naturalists saw a cicada emerging from its exoskeleton during a field trip Friday morning.

Zaban said the Pilcher Park Nature Center is including the cicadas in its programming and in passive displays.

“The kids are going to be seeing and hearing them,” Zaban said of the noisy critters. “Let’s educate people about them and why the are not scary.”

Cindy Cain, spokesperson for the Forest Preserve District of Will County, said Thursday that a few holes were spotted near Hickory Creek and at the dog park in Hammel Woods in Shorewood.

“But there’s no mass emergence incidents in our preserves yet,” Cain said.

“The cicadas make holes going out, and when the nymphs drop to the ground, they make holes going back in. So we should be thanking them instead of fearing them. So be reassured if you end up with a lot of them.”

—  Nancy Kuhajda, program coordinator, the University of Illinois Extension office in Will County

Nancy Kuhajda, program coordinator at the University of Illinois Extension office in Will County, said she’s on the lookout for the cicadas but hasn’t seen any yet.

[ Cicadas are coming: What experts say you should know ]

“People have seen holes in their yard, which are dime-sized and perfectly circular,” Kuhajda said. “They don’t realize that cicadas dig holes to see what the weather is doing.”

When will more cicadas emerge?

Kuhajda said cicadas typically won’t emerge until the ground temperature is 64 degrees. The cooler weather the last few days have “set things back a little bit,” she said.

“The temperature needs to be just a few degrees warmer to come out,” Kuhajda. “When they do, they’ll all emerge at the same time.”

When cicadas finally do emerge, they will feed, shed their hard shells, and then need a few hours “to dry off,” Kuhajda said.

“It’s not like they come out of the ground and you hear this gigantic, deafening sound,” Kuhajda said. “They need time to complete their life cycle.”

Kuhajda said people can’t miss cicadas because of their “identifiable body size and specific look.” But unless you own fruit trees, people don’t need to otherwise worry about their arrival, she said. They don’t bite, and they aren’t poisonous to pets, she said.

If you do own fruit trees, Kuhajda said tie tulle or other netting onto young fruit trees to protect them. Don’t use tape since that leaves gaps, she said. Don’t worry about other trees or plants, even if cicadas are hanging from them, she said. The female prefers only a certain pencil-sized branch for laying eggs.

“I know it’s hard to imagine, but cicadas are great for the environment,” Kuhajda said. “They provide a lot of food for wildlife and birds.”

Kuhajda said cicadas aerate Will County’s heavy clay soil “better than any landscaper can” and loose soil also means less flooding.

“The cicadas make holes going out,” Kuhajda said, “and when the nymphs drop to the ground, they make holes going back in. So we should be thanking them instead of fearing them. So be reassured if you end up with a lot of them.”

Kuhajda said it’s difficult to predict how many cicadas people will see on their property. Those living in a new subdivision with few trees may see little. But so might those living near wooded areas since wildlife might eat many of them.

Cain said Racoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee had few cicadas 17 years ago while Plum Creek Nature Preserve had plenty.

But Kuhajda said she understands how scary it is when nature does things in very large ways. So don’t hesitate to call the Will County extension office at 815-727-9296 with any questions, she said.

“We are here to allay people’s concerns,” Kuhajda said. “And also provide research-based information.”