3 Important Things To Do When Cicada Brood X LEAVES Illinois

The cicadas have arrived in Illinois...now what?

Cicadas Arrive in Northern Illinois

This weekend I saw many friends who live in the Rockford area share pics and videos of hundreds of cicadas in their yard and trees.

Here's an example from a friend that said;

I was skeptical about all the cicadas that were supposed to come. But none of these were here yesterday. We’ve counted well over 100 in a sunny corner of our yard. Climbing up anything they can.

If you haven't noticed cicadas overtaking your yard yet, consider yourself lucky.

If your yard is currently being invaded by cicadas, perhaps you'll feel comforted to know that they should be gone by mid to late June according to experts.

Disturbing Fact About Cicadas

Living in Northern Illinois I thought I had learned everything I needed to know about cicadas in the last few months, but then I read something today that I was not prepared for.

An NBC Chicago article from February mentioned a massive cicada emergence that took place in Illinois in 1956 and quoted a University of Illinois report from that year that said;

When the cicadas start dying and dropping from the trees later in the spring, there are large numbers on the ground, and the odor from their rotting bodies is noticeable.

And here I thought we just had to worry about getting peed on by cicadas in trees, now we have to worry about their stinkin' dead bodies too? Yuck!

3 Things To Do After Cicadas Leave Illinois

I'm sure by now you've read or heard that letting the cicada exoskeletons that have been shed in your yard is good for the soil, but leaving the insane amount of dead cicada bodies laying around is not. (Well, it might actually be good for the soil, but definitely not your eyes or nose).

Once Brood X has left, pest control experts say there are three important things every homeowner needs to do...

1. Clean Up the Dead Cicadas Fast - As you see the bodies, clean them up. Letting them gather in large piles will lead to standing water puddles which will attract large amounts of mosquitoes. Experts recommend either throwing the piles of dead cicadas in a compost pile or digging a hole in your yard somewhere to put the bodies in so your soil benefits from the excess nutrients.
2. Clean Your Gutters - Your home's gutters will fill quickly with cicada skeletons, which will lead quickly to clogging, so make sure you clean them out.
3. Check Young Trees and Shrubs for Damage and Cicada Eggs - Female cicadas cut "slits" in small twigs to deposit their eggs in which will cause the ends of branches to die off. It's not a problem in mature trees, it's just like pruning, but it will be for young trees with nothing but thin branches.

Hang in there Illinois, we only have to deal with Brook X for a few more weeks.