Illinois Peeps, Beware: Cicadas Pose a Threat to Tiny Trees

After lying dormant for 17 years, a massive cicada brood will emerge from the ground and do very little.

Cicadas mostly lose half their body, mate, lay eggs, and pee on unsuspecting humans from trees. In a nutshell, that's what the summer of 2024 will be like.

Oh yeah, they also make plenty of noise. Cicadas also carry a fungus, which luckily won't harm us.

Keep Reading: Illinois' Cicadas Are Really Loud - Here's Why

CICADAS EFFECT ON BABY TREES

Then there's the baby trees. Those gross bugs can damage newly planted saplings, like the one pictured below.

Oh, yes, that's my tree, barely past the sapling stage, which I had five of planted late last fall.

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I was unaware that cicadas could threaten these tiny little guys then.

Reviewed on USA Today says, "Newly planted trees and woody plants with stems up to one-half-inch in diameter are vulnerable to damage from cicadas, which suck out sap and cut slits in tree branches to lay clutches of eggs."

That sounds gross, and I hope it doesn't happen to my trees.

Luckily, there is at least one thing new tree owners can do to survive the "cicadapocalypse."

NETTING NEW TREES TO KEEP CICADAS AWAY

The article suggests wrapping trees with "one-centimeter or smaller netting to keep cicadas off."

You can do a couple of other things in case your tree suffers a cicada attack.

By the time 2024 wraps up, we may very well refer to the cicada as Illinois' official state insect, but did you know it's something else? See below.