Cicada and kids

[Nixy]

Well. I've seen enough of them this year. But I finaly got around to catching one for the twins to see and interact with.
Just the average bug maybe.
But they found it exciting.

The bug......
A cicada I found climbing along the bricks of my house.

 

[Nixy]

Eden held it up for another picture.

 

[Nixy]

Faith thinking of naming it Polly......

 

[Nixy]

Polly doing "vulcan mind meld" ?

They loved the bug!

After counting legs, wings, eyes, looking at all it's bug parts and finding out how it eats.

Polly was returned outside where it flew noisily away.

 

[Love to Foxtrot]

I have an established mulberry tree in my backyard that serves as a cicada haven. I was out walking my dog this morning and I came across two cicadas whom I had to play with. They are neat little bugs, but they can be startling when they get angry and loud! The first insect molt that I witnessed was when I was very young and found a cicada who molted for me. I thought it was a miracle.

Aubrey

 

[Nixy]

I thik they're a Great first encounter bug for kids. Even though the twins are already Into bugs.
Big, wonderful looking, interestingly marked.
I've been dogging for larvea to show them but haven't found any yet. And looking for about to molts.

I would Love to find them one that in the white with red eyes phaze. I think they are So Neat looking then.

In all phazes. But I would like to find a bunch of them at various stages for the twins to watch.

Thanks for the come back LTF!

 

[Valael]

Don't those only live for like 4 days or something once they emerge from the ground?


Kind of a strange life they live. They stay in the ground for up to 17 years and finally emerge, only to die.



I used to have fun when I was younger catching them on trees and having them shed in hour house.

 

[Nixy]

Yeah, about that, more or less.
A crapload of years. (usualy not much longer then 17 for Most species,, a few are recorded at about 13 years for a handful of species.)

They nymphs stay in the ground about 17 years. sucking at the roots of trees. (deciduous trees, the ones that lose leaves every fall,,, not conifers or everygreen types)
Then the nymphs dig out of the ground. (ever see medeum bore holes in the ground around trees? With cone like dirt piles around them?)
They climb a surface, ( tree house, anything thats off the ground and makes them less a target for predators) molt into adults. then go off to find mates. Once mated the males usualy die pretty quick of exaustion, the females scratch out a spot and lays eggs. The eggs hatch, the larvea feed on the branch sap for a while.
Once they get big enough, they fall off the branch, burrow into the ground, find a root thats tasty and suckle on it, growing for the next 17 years.
Then out they come, and start again.

The Best time to find cicada Before they molt is early evening. after they emerg from the ground and start loking for a place to climb. They Will molt in jars.
And it's a facinating procces to watch.

I've been looking for some emerging but havn't found any yet so the twins can watch. But if I do I'll take pictures.

Cicadas are pretty neat. Some specias look like butterflies or months. Bright colored wings. These,,, like the one we found, in the US is a tibicen species. tibicen pruniosa I Think. Though I'm not sure. been a long time since I did a real study up on them.

 

[Jesse607]

I believe most locales also have species of "annual cicadas" which have life cycles that only take a year or two to complete. these are the species most people encounter.

 

[Cooper]

Are your twins identical(the kids, not....)?

ps periodical cicadas(the 13-17 year ones) havbe red eyes and yellowish wings.

 

[Wade]

Originally posted by jezzy607
I believe most locales also have species of "annual cicadas" which have life cycles that only take a year or two to complete. these are the species most people encounter.

The average total life span of the Dog Day Cicada, Tibicen canicularis, is around 3 years. I think that's the one in Nixy's picture.

Wade

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Wade
The average total life span of the Dog Day Cicada, Tibicen canicularis, is around 3 years. I think that's the one in Nixy's picture.

So that's the common name for the 3 year cicada. My dad, who knows more about forestry type things than I'll ever manage, knew they were a 3 year species (although he called them locusts as opposed to cicadas) but never knew a common name for them.

I'll have to fill him in on the "Dog Day" part of their name next time I see him

 

[Poecilotheria]

Jeez, thats what those things were. I have the brown ones up here, had no idea what they were. Seen an overturned one on the street so I carefully blew it over, lol so it was right side up. Then I took off running not knowing what that thing was, lol. I also seen about 5 molts on a tree facing downwards about 3-4 years ago.
Steve

 

[Nixy]

jezzy607. Cool thanks. Honestly didn't know there were three year ones. It's been Years since I bothered to catch one. LOL. Still looking for nymphs though.

Wade. A dog day cicada. Neat. Wasn't sure myself. I Thought but wasn't sure sure on the species thing. Closest picture I could find to match

Cooper. Nope, not identical twins. Faternal twins,,, or for those that wanna be gender specific ( have been hopped on before about it) maternal twins. No matter the name though. Two eggs, two girls. Eden didn't want a picture taken except for her hand. Faith is the one in the two other pictures.

Code Monkey. That's what they were called when I was coming up too. Locusts a few older folks called them katydids too. And squallers. Had the wives tales to go with them too.
You know, finding the letters hidden on them to predict war or peace. If they circled a tree a few times right or left it would be a poor or prosperous day to come next. All those cute tales they would spin while you watched them drink out of masson jars and get " a litlle tittled".

Poecilotheria. They are just fun bugs. Big, noisy, easy to catch. Great for kids to look at. Easy to mount. The twins have half a dozen shed shells now they found on the trees and a large dead adult. I do not know how to sex these things.. So I don't know if it's male or female. But the twins are very happy and we plan to mount them for them. Maybe do the acrylic thing.

 

[nocturnalpulsem]

Out of curiosity, (please don't throw rocks...) do any of you use them as food for your inverts/reptiles/whatever?

N.

 

[nemesis6sic6]

cool

I find them to be very cool. Back when I was a kind I usto play with them all the time. Now I don't see them around any more..

any ways have a nice day


geo

 

[oo6ilfs]

those things can hurt

I was playing with a cacida one time and it stuck me with its proboscus thing. It was very strange cause ive played with hundreds of them and never encountered that before. Kinda reminded me of an assasin bug, Ive been stuck by 2 of those guys and one of them really hurt.:?

 

[Nikos]

nocturnalpulsem I was thinking about the same thing!!!
We have millions of them here and I'm going to try them for T and scorpion feeders.

Any objections from anyone?

I mean objections healthwise not because you like them

 

[Wade]

Despite the size, there doesn't seem to be much "meat" on them. They have a very thick exoskeleton, which a T couldn't eat, so subtaract that and you probably have less digestible food than a medium-sized cockroach. Provided, of course, the T doesn't reject them due to the different texture.

Other than that, I can't see any reason not to use them. They don't live long as adults, so their lives are pretty much over anyway.

Wade

 

[genious_gr]

Also, they should be fed to BIG T's as they are very strong. And I dont thing throwing them to an orb weaver is a good idea as it;d destroy its web.

I miss my T. Blondi that could eat them