After 17 years, Brood-X Cicadas are About to Surface

What cicadas will look like around Knoxville TN - Russel's Pest Control

At some point during the latter part of May, hundreds of billions of cicadas are going to emerge from the earth and take to the air.

Some people are freaked out and frightened by this generational event, but many others travel from across the United States to watch it all unfold! However it makes you feel, we can all agree it might be one of the most fascinating natural unfoldings that we have ever seen.

What Is a Cicada?

Cicadas are insects that hatch above ground, but quickly burrow into the earth and don’t reemerge for over a decade. A generation of cicadas emerges from the ground either every 17 years or every 13 years, depending on the brood. Brood X last emerged in 2004 and is gearing up to come back to the surface this May in areas all over the eastern part of the country.

You’ll be able to tell that something new is afoot by their unequivocal noises, but here are a few extra ways to tell cicadas apart from other insects:

  • Cicadas have small black bodies and two sets of long, clear wings, lined with orange markings.
  • Newly hatched cicadas, called nymphs, are light brown with a stumpier body.
  • There will be an incredible magnitude of new insects introduced to our environment, so you will be able to tell them apart by their incredible population size.
  • You will hear piercing, scream-like sounds that can even surpass 100 decibels in volume, similar to an ATV or a chainsaw.

What You Need to Know about Cicadas

Male cicadas are the ones that keep you up at night with their screeches. This is a mating call, and they create it through a lightning-fast repetition that flexes muscles in their abdomen. These devices are called tymbals, and they are specialized noise-making devices found in many insects. Cicadas amplify the noise beyond 20x its original volume by allowing it to reverberate in their bodies.

When a male cicada finds a mate, they will reproduce, dying shortly after. Female cicadas lay their eggs in treetops, and once the nymphs hatch, they make their way down to the ground to burrow in the dirt and look for tree roots to feed on.

Are Cicadas Dangerous?

It’s understandable that some people think that cicadas are dangerous – they mysteriously arise from the ground after many years in a screeching swarm of billions. Although their appearance can be frightening, the most damage that cicadas will do is some moderate destruction of tree roots as they feed. They actually serve as a delightful new food source for many kinds of animals and nourish trees in their area with necessary oxygen when their bodies decay.

What To Do About Cicadas in Knoxville TN

If you’re the kind of person that just can’t handle bugs or loud noises, the return of Brood X will not be fun. Unfortunately, there’s really not a lot that a pest control company can do to cicada-proof your house. There are simply too many of them to keep under control. Using bug spray on cicadas won’t even put a tiny dent in their numbers, and will probably poison the animals that prey on them.

That being said, if you’re experiencing a pest outbreak on your property, contact our experts at Russell’s Pest Control. We train our specialists to the newest standards of efficiency and environmental awareness, and we will routinely send technicians until your home is pest-free*. Contact us today for a free quote!

How Tennessee Residents Can Keep Their Yards Mosquito-Free This Summer

Mosquito found in Knoxville TN - Russell's Pest Control

Have you ever wondered why there are so many mosquitoes all over Tennessee? We happen to have ideal breeding conditions for them for about half of the year, starting as early as March and lasting into October. They can make use of even the tiniest spaces as breeding grounds, and their speedy reproductive cycle means that there will always be a quick turnaround of mosquito populations until it gets too cold. So how do we go about stopping them from living in our yards?

What Are Mosquitoes Attracted To?

To understand how to best repel mosquitoes, it is beneficial to know what they’re attracted to. Since their reproductive process is so fast, you’ll generally find mosquitoes around still water, which is where they lay their eggs. Mosquitoes make use of many different sources of standing water to breed, both natural and man-made. Look for tiny rafts of mosquito eggs in:

  • Ponds
  • Pools
  • Spas
  • Buckets
  • Gutters
  • Birdbaths
  • Anywhere else that rainwater collects

Mosquitoes are most active during dawn and dusk and tend to rest in protected places during the night and midday. If you have densely wooded areas of lots of shady trees around your home, you’re likely to experience a mosquito outbreak.

DIY Mosquito Repellent

So what can you do on your own to keep mosquitoes out of your yard? There are a number of DIY mosquito repellent options, and some work better than others. Here are three preventative measures that we consider to be the best options for Tennessee residents:

  1. Cover or pour out any standing water. If you have a pool or spa, keep it covered whenever it’s not in use so mosquitoes don’t lay their eggs on the water. Also, routinely inspect your yard for stagnant water that has collected.
  2. Keep your yard tidy. Keeping mosquitoes away means limiting the places that they might want to hang out in your yard. Make sure your trees and bushes are trimmed down.
  3. Set up equipment to deter mosquitoes. Depending on your yard and the severity of your problem, this could mean mosquito traps, mosquito nets, window and door screens, or fans. Some people like to use citronella candles as a natural mosquito repellent, but we find that they aren’t effective for more than a couple of hours.

Professional Mosquito Control in Knoxville TN

If your DIY tactics aren’t getting the job done, you can trust in your local mosquito extermination experts to remove them from your yard. At Russell’s Pest Control, we train our mosquito specialists to cater their approach to the unique situations they find in every yard. We use a variety of treatment methods, all of which employ strategies and products that are up to the latest standards of environmental awareness. If you have a mosquito outbreak in your yard, contact us today for a free quote!