Keeping Adult Cicadas

[pannaking22]

I'm trying to keep some cicadas (Neotibicens dorsatus) as pets for outreach purposes, but have been having trouble keeping them alive for more than a day or two. While they might just be towards the end of their lifespan, it would be nice if there was a way to keep them alive for at least a little longer so I can use them for outreach and not have to keep going out and collecting more. I grab a few plants around them (typically what they were sitting on) and place those in water, along with having a light on above them for the plants to continue to survive. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[Hisserdude]

If you're finding them on the ground, then they are at the very end of their life cycle. If you could catch one that was on a tree or a shrub, then it would live longer.

 

[Smokehound714]

Difficult. I kept a citrus cicada for a while- you must give them a live plant to feed on. they depend on the vascular action of the plant to drink, a dead plant lacks this.

You also need the correct plant for the species you have. Even then, they dont live very long at all, mine died after a week.