COLUMBIA — The bulbous red eyes and loud buzzing of this summer's cicada brood might be intimidating, but professors from the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources say the bugs are harmless.
"My main message is to fear not," Chris Starbuck, MU associate professor of horticulture, said.
Starbuck was one of four MU professors who talked about the cicada emergence during an informational meeting on Wednesday morning in the Agriculture Building on the MU campus. The experts addressed public concerns about the insects, especially relating to crops, orchards, trees and decorative landscaping.
The emergence should peak in Columbia about two to three weeks from now, the experts said. Cicada singing will increase as the weather warms and as more cicadas emerge from the ground.
"Just sit back and enjoy the show," entomology professor Bruce Barrett said.
The 13-year periodical cicadas began emerging in southern Missouri on about May 8, according to citizen reports, said Rob Lawrence, a forest entomologist at the Missouri Department of Conservation and an adjunct assistant professor of entomology at MU. The emergence began several days ago in Columbia.
This year's cicada swarm is known as Brood 19, or the Great Southern Brood. It is the largest brood in the country and extends throughout Missouri and much of the Midwest.
Temperatures must consistently exceed 60 degrees for cicada nymphs to creep out of the ground. Once they shed their skins and enter adulthood, they live for about six weeks feeding on plant juices. Male cicadas "sing" to attract mates.
Female cicadas lay their eggs in living branches between one-eighth and three-fourths of an inch in diameter, Lawrence said. Starbuck added that excessive egg-laying can damage twigs, but usually not to the extent that it endangers the life of a mature tree or shrub.
The insects may lay eggs on trees in orchards, but twig damage can be fixed with pruning, Barrett said.
Starbuck recommended people resist the temptation to use insecticide to kill cicadas. The poison harms birds and other animals, and it can kill beneficial insects. Pets might also suffer if they eat poisoned cicadas.
Wrapping mesh or cheesecloth around vulnerable branches is a better way to protect small trees or ornamental shrubs such as roses, Starbuck said.