Signs That Greater Western Cicadas Are Overrunning Your Garden

The Greater Western Cicada (Diceroprocta vitripennis) is a fascinating yet sometimes troublesome insect commonly found in gardens and wooded areas of the western United States. While cicadas play an important role in the ecosystem by aerating soil and serving as a food source for birds and other wildlife, their sudden population explosions can be overwhelming for gardeners. When Greater Western Cicadas overrun your garden, they can cause damage to plants, disturb the peace with their loud calls, and create a mess with their discarded exoskeletons.

In this article, we’ll explore the key signs that indicate these cicadas are taking over your garden, helping you identify their presence early and take steps to manage their impact.

Understanding the Greater Western Cicada

Before diving into the signs of infestation, it’s helpful to understand a bit about these insects:

• Appearance: Adult Greater Western Cicadas have clear wings with greenish or yellowish bodies, typically around 1.5 to 2 inches long.
• Lifecycle: They spend the majority of their life underground as nymphs feeding on root sap. After several years (usually 3-5), they emerge in large numbers as adults to mate. The adults live for about 4-6 weeks.
• Behavior: Males produce loud, high-pitched calls to attract females. These sounds can become overwhelming when cicadas gather in large groups.

Knowing this background will help you better recognize when your garden is experiencing an unusual cicada presence.

1. Loud, Persistent Chirping Sounds

One of the first and most obvious signs that Greater Western Cicadas are overrunning your garden is the persistent loud chirping or buzzing sound during warm days. Male cicadas use specialized membranes called tymbals on their abdomens to produce these distinctive calls.

What To Listen For:

• Continuous high-pitched buzzing or clicking noises.
• Sound levels that increase significantly compared to previous years.
• Calls primarily during daylight hours, especially in hot weather.

If your garden suddenly becomes noticeably noisier with an unmistakable cicada chorus, it’s a strong indication that many adults have emerged in your area.

2. Increased Number of Cicada Shells on Plants and Surfaces

After emerging from the ground, cicada nymphs climb onto nearby tree trunks or plant stems and molt one last time into adults. This molting leaves behind empty, light brown exoskeletons attached firmly to bark, leaves, fences, or garden structures.

Signs To Spot:

• Clusters of dried cicada shells on tree bark and branches.
• Shells attached to garden stakes, fences, or outdoor furniture.
• A noticeable increase in empty shells compared to previous seasons.

These exoskeletons are often very visible and serve as a clear indicator that cicada nymphs have transitioned into adults nearby.

3. Visible Adult Cicadas on Trees and Plants

When Greater Western Cicadas emerge en masse, you will often see adult insects resting on tree trunks, branches, fences, or even garden plants.

How To Identify Adults in Your Garden:

• Look for greenish-yellow winged insects roughly 1.5 to 2 inches long.
• Adults may cluster on rough bark surfaces or shady areas during the daytime.
• You might observe mating pairs clinging together on tree limbs.

The sheer number of visible adult cicadas can indicate they are overrunning your space.

4. Damage to Young Trees and Shrubs

While adult cicadas do not bite or sting humans and do not feed heavily on foliage, female cicadas lay eggs by cutting slits into small branches and twigs. This egg-laying process can cause:

Damage Symptoms:

• Small scars or slits on young branches.
• Branches that wilt or die back due to egg insertion damage.
• Twigs snapping off easily where eggs were laid.

In heavy infestations, this twig damage—often called “flagging”—can weaken young trees and shrubs significantly.

5. Sudden Increase in Soil Disturbance Around Roots

Nymph stages live underground feeding on root sap for several years before emerging as adults. Large emergences may involve significant digging activity beneath your garden soil.

What To Watch For:

• Piles of loose soil near base of trees and shrubs where nymphs emerged.
• Small holes or tunnels around roots indicating exit points.
• Changes in soil texture due to extensive burrowing.

This underground activity can stress certain plants by disrupting root systems if cicada populations are very high.

6. Presence of Predatory Wildlife Attracted by Cicadas

Greater Western Cicadas are a rich protein source for many birds, mammals, reptiles, and even other insects. A sudden spike in cicada numbers often draws increased attention from local wildlife.

Wildlife Signs Include:

• More frequent bird visits targeting tree canopies.
• Squirrels or raccoons seen searching bark crevices for cicadas.
• Appearance of predators like praying mantises or spiders consuming cicadas.

If you notice unusual wildlife activity focused on hunting insects in your garden, this may coincide with a local explosion in cicada populations.

7. A Messy Layer of Dead Cicadas Under Trees

As adult cicadas complete their short lifespan after mating and laying eggs, they die off quickly—often creating a layer of dead insects beneath host trees or large shrubs.

What To Look For:

• Accumulated dead bodies on soil surface under trees.
• A noticeable smell if decomposition occurs in large quantities.
• Dead insects mixed with fallen exoskeletons creating debris mats.

This natural cycle phase demonstrates a heavy population but also signals the impending end of their current lifecycle in your garden.

Managing an Overrun Garden

If you’ve identified many of these signs indicating Greater Western Cicadas are overrunning your garden, there are some practical steps you can take:

• Prune young branches showing egg-laying scars before eggs hatch to reduce damage.
• Rake up exoskeletons and dead adults regularly to maintain cleanliness.
• Encourage natural predators like birds by providing bird feeders or baths.
• Use fine mesh netting to protect valuable young plants during peak emergence times.
• Avoid excessive watering which may encourage more burrowing nymphs underground.

Remember that cicada outbreaks are generally temporary—adult populations survive only a few weeks each cycle—so patience combined with proactive care usually preserves garden health through these seasonal events.

Conclusion

Greater Western Cicadas can be both a fascinating natural spectacle and a challenging garden pest when they surge in large numbers. By recognizing the loud calls, spotting molted shells clinging to plants, observing visible adults resting on bark, noting branch damage from egg laying, monitoring soil disturbance from burrowing nymphs, watching for increased predator activity, and cleaning up dead insects under trees—you’ll be well-equipped to identify when these insects are overrunning your garden.

Understanding these signs early lets you respond thoughtfully with sustainable management practices that protect your plants while respecting this unique part of our natural environment. With awareness and preparation, you can coexist with Greater Western Cicadas while keeping your garden thriving amid their noisy presence.