"Return of the Cicada"

Does anyone have the swarm of cicadas yet? I saw somewhere that people are catching them and eating them in various ways. I don't know about all that .

Ooh that's icky!

when summer comes around in 6 months we will have lots of them!

None here yet. The mud daubers and wasps are out in full force though.

These threads and the ones about predators make me really glad I live in the UK. It might have it's faults but it doesn't have those.

I don't think they have those in Canada. (or at least I hope)

Originally Posted by Anakat

These threads and the ones about predators make me really glad I live in the UK. It might have it's faults but it doesn't have those.

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So true!

Although my downstairs neighbours have some sort of creature that gets fed live insects, and the food sometimes escapes. We spent one summer trying to sleep through crickets chirping in our kitchen every night before we had cats obviously, I think if it happened again the kitties would be in heaven with crickets to chase!

Originally Posted by Epona

Although my downstairs neighbours have some sort of creature that gets fed live insects, and the food sometimes escapes. We spent one summer trying to sleep through crickets chirping in our kitchen every night

before we had cats obviously, I think if it happened again the kitties would be in heaven with crickets to chase!

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I hate it when the crickets escape. Cats help A LOT.

I haven't heard a single cicada yet. But the nights here have been oddly chilly as well, we're still having spring like weather when it should be much hotter.

I haven't seen a single bee either.
Has anyone else read/heard about how the bee population in the US has declined dramatically this year?

I thought the major swarm was every 7 years, and the last one was in 2004, wasn't it? I think there are different species though and each have different hiberation periods, so maybe we are do for a minor one. I haven't heard or seen any yet.

It's a bit early for the cicadas yet here in Canada. They prefer warmer weather.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I haven't seen a single bee either.

Has anyone else read/heard about how the bee population in the US has declined dramatically this year?

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No cicadas here, yet.

We have carpenter bees though. You can have them!!!! They freak me out.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I haven't seen a single bee either.

Has anyone else read/heard about how the bee population in the US has declined dramatically this year?

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My DH did some research on that recently. Apparently the ones that are declining are those that were imported for honey and not the native bees.

Originally Posted by calico2222

I thought the major swarm was every 7 years, and the last one was in 2004, wasn't it? I think there are different species though and each have different hiberation periods, so maybe we are do for a minor one. I haven't heard or seen any yet.

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I think the ones that Taurus77 is referring to are the 17 year cicadas. I remember the ones from 34 years ago (lived in Chicago) - they were everywhere. I don't recall the ones from 17 years ago (lived in Texas). Maybe I'll get lucky and not find them where I live now (Kansas).

A few years ago, I saw a nicely-dressed woman with the most gorgeous pin on her jacket, all greenish and iridescent. I said, "Oh, how lovely," and leaned closer to see it... and she said, "Don't panic, he's dead." And then I saw that it was a locust! She said she'd found him already dead on her lawn and dipped him in acrylic to preserve him, then glued on a pinback!

The poor locust was very beautiful... but it seemed so morbid to do that to him, y'know? Kinda bothers me still.

Oh, wow. What would make someone think of doing that?

OMG, eating them would be just wrong They are ugly buggers.

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

OMG, eating them would be just wrong

They are ugly buggers.

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They are ugly. My adult male turtle loves them though, like they're some sort of insect delicacy. I cannot stand to stay near him while he munches on one, I have to walk off.

Originally Posted by Taurus77

Does anyone have the swarm of cicadas yet? I saw somewhere that people are catching them and eating them in various ways. I don't know about all that

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Swarms? Yeah, we got 'em. How may should I send you?

On a small bush:


neighbor's tree:


They say we've got about a million per acre in the old sections of town, like mine.

On tv today i saw where some woman and her husband were cooking them and dinner and drinks out of them and serving them to their guests. normally, i'd say "to each his own" but that is just nasty! they really gross me out!!!