We Will Witness an Insect Event in Texas We Haven’t Seen in 221 years

Spring officially begins Tuesday, March 19 at 10:06 p.m. in Texas. That change in seasons will bring a familiar sound to our ears that is either very comforting or extremely annoying. They also leave behind some cool shells on the trunk of a tree or on the side of our house. Copperheads love to gather around trees in hopes that a newly hatched one of these falls to the ground so they can snatch up a quick meal.

Cicadas

Of course, I am talking about cicadas. Their song blankets the rural and city areas of East Texas every year. It's amazing to think that such a small creature can produce such a big sound. When a whole group of them gets together, it can be a sound that is hard to drown out. What you may not know is that there are three different kinds of cicadas.

Different Cicadas

There are three different types of cicadas, the type that hatch every year and the type that hatch every 13 and 17 years. What will be interesting about 2024 is that the hatch rate of those 13 and 17 year cicadas will line up. Meaning, we could see billions of cicadas in one season. This will be the first time it's happened in 221 years.

The thing about cicadas is that they are harmless to us and to our pets. They can be harmful to our trees, however. The female will cut a hole in the tree to lay her eggs, the cicada nymphs will fall to the ground and bury themselves, those nymphs will then feed off the sap of that tree which could then weaken or even kill a young tree (Purdue University).

We shouldn't kill the cicadas, though, because they are a good food source for birds, snakes, fish and other wildlife. They also aerate the ground if the nymphs borrow in a place other than around a tree and also become food for plants when they die and decompose.

Other than that, just get ready for a louder than usual song of the cicada for our spring and summer season in East Texas.

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