The cicadas are making an appearance around the Miami Valley, and some people may be wondering “what is their purpose?”
According to Tom Macy with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, cicadas have a specific purpose that plays a unique role in the way the ecosystem works.
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“They are really a great food source for a lot of native wild life like birds and other mammals. Their activity in the soil helps to naturally aerate the soil so they have a lot of benefits for the wildlife and environment in general,” Macy said.
The cicada’s value as a food source has already been seen firsthand by residents like Oakwood’s Kathy Hogan.
“We have a lot of birds here, and I was watching this bird and it ate one,” Hogan said. “I thought ‘how many is that?’ But it is just part of nature.”
Even the way they emerge speaks to their unique survival tactics.
“They are in such huge numbers that they ensure that they can mate and pass on their genes and offspring because it is too many of them around for predators to get at all of them,” Macy said.
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For those trying to get them off of their property, lawn mowing is not advised.
“They could actually be attracted to someone mowing their lawn, so it could result in getting swarmed with cicadas if you do go out to mow your lawn,” Macy said.
Cicadas like to feed on younger and more vulnerable trees, but green thumbs can prevent that with netting that can be wrapped around them.
For people who may not be fond of cicadas, they won’t be buzzing around forever.
Cicadas only have a life cycle of about 6 weeks, meaning they will be gone by early July.
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