What Do Scissor Grinder Cicadas Eat? Diet and Feeding Habits

Cicadas are fascinating insects known for their distinctive sounds and unique life cycles. Among the many species, the Scissor Grinder Cicada stands out due to its loud, grinding call that resembles the sound of scissors being sharpened. While much attention is often given to their life cycle or song, understanding their diet and feeding habits provides insight into their role in the ecosystem and behavior throughout their lifespan.

In this article, we explore what Scissor Grinder Cicadas eat, how they feed, and why their diet matters both for them and for the environment.

Introduction to Scissor Grinder Cicadas

Scissor Grinder Cicadas belong to the genus Neotibicen, a group of large cicadas commonly found in North America. They are named for the unique sound produced by males during mating calls, which can be heard throughout late summer.

These cicadas spend most of their lives underground as nymphs before emerging as adults for a brief but active period above ground. Their feeding habits vary between these two stages, reflecting their changing nutritional needs and ecological roles.

The Diet of Scissor Grinder Cicada Nymphs

Underground Life and Root Feeding

The majority of a Scissor Grinder Cicada’s lifespan—typically between 2 to 5 years—is spent underground as a nymph. During this time, the nymph burrows around tree roots and feeds primarily on plant sap.

Nymphs use specialized mouthparts called stylets to pierce root xylem vessels and suck out watery sap. This fluid is rich in water but relatively low in nutrients compared to other plant fluids like phloem sap. Despite this limitation, cicada nymphs extract sufficient nutrition from the sap to sustain their slow development beneath the soil surface.

Preferred Host Plants for Nymph Feeding

While nymphs are not particularly selective about which plant roots they feed on, they generally prefer mature trees with well-established root systems. Common host species include:

Oak trees (Quercus spp.)
Hickory (Carya spp.)

Maple (Acer spp.)
Pine (Pinus spp.)

These tree roots provide a reliable source of sap that maintains nymph survival over several years underground.

Adult Scissor Grinder Cicada Feeding Habits

Transition to Above-Ground Life

Once the nymphs reach full maturity, they emerge from the soil to molt into their adult form. This stage typically lasts only 4 to 6 weeks during late summer. Adult cicadas focus on reproduction but still require energy for activities such as calling, flying, and mating.

What Do Adult Scissor Grinder Cicadas Eat?

Adult Scissor Grinder Cicadas continue feeding on plant fluids but switch from roots to feeding on stems, twigs, and branches above ground. They use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to tap into xylem vessels within these woody parts of plants.

Similar to nymphs, adult cicadas consume xylem fluid—a watery solution containing minimal nutrients. Because xylem sap lacks sugars and amino acids compared to phloem sap, cicadas must process large volumes of fluid to meet their energy needs.

Preferred Plant Species for Adult Feeding

Adults tend to feed on a variety of deciduous hardwoods including:

Elm (Ulmus spp.)
Ash (Fraxinus spp.)

Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
Willow (Salix spp.)

Their feeding sites often coincide with trees commonly used for singing perches during mating calls.

Frequency and Duration of Feeding

Adult cicadas feed regularly throughout their short lifespan above ground. Frequent feeding helps maintain hydration and energy levels needed for prolonged calling sessions and mate competition.

Due to the low nutrient content of xylem fluid, cicadas produce large quantities of clear liquid waste called “cicada rain”, which drips from feeding sites below them.

Why Do Scissor Grinder Cicadas Feed on Xylem Sap?

Nutritional Challenges

Xylem sap primarily transports water and inorganic minerals from roots to leaves but contains very little organic material like sugars or amino acids. This makes it an inferior food source compared to phloem sap used by other sap-feeding insects such as aphids.

Despite this limitation, cicadas have adapted physiological mechanisms allowing them to process high volumes of xylem fluid efficiently:

Specialized gut enzymes filter out excess water quickly.
Waste fluids are excreted rapidly to avoid dehydration.

Their slow metabolism during nymph stages conserves energy when nutrients are scarce.

Ecological Advantages

Feeding on xylem may reduce competition with other insects that target nutrient-rich phloem sap. It also minimizes damage to host plants since extracting xylem sap is generally less harmful than removing phloem tissue critical for nutrient transport.

Impact of Scissor Grinder Cicada Feeding on Trees

Generally Harmless Feeding Behavior

In most cases, the feeding activity of both nymphs and adults causes minimal harm to healthy trees. The amount of xylem fluid withdrawn is small relative to total plant water transport capacity.

Potential Stress During Mass Emergence Events

However, during years when cicadas emerge in massive numbers (periodical cicadas), heavy feeding by countless individuals can place additional stress on young or weakened trees. Damage from egg-laying slits made by females may also cause twig dieback.

Nonetheless, mature trees usually recover quickly without long-term consequences.

Summary of Scissor Grinder Cicada Diet

Conclusion

The diet of Scissor Grinder Cicadas revolves around consuming xylem sap throughout both their underground nymph stage and brief adult stage above ground. This specialized feeding strategy allows them to exploit a resource that is widely available but challenging due to its low nutritional content.

While nymphs feed on tree roots beneath the soil for several years, adults switch to feeding on twigs and branches during their few weeks above ground. Despite consuming mostly watery sap, cicadas have evolved adaptations that enable efficient nutrient extraction necessary for growth and reproduction.

Understanding these diet and feeding habits not only sheds light on cicada biology but also helps us appreciate their subtle yet important role in forest ecosystems as part of the complex web of plant-insect interactions.

By knowing what Scissor Grinder Cicadas eat and how they feed, researchers, gardeners, and nature enthusiasts can better predict their behavior patterns and manage any potential impacts during emergence seasons without disrupting these remarkable insects’ natural life cycle.