Be prepared to witness the 13 year cicadas rise from the earth this May. 2011 is the year of the 13 year cicada and estimated populations in the millions emerging. Cicadas are harmless bugs, but annoying. They cause no harm to turf, but will damage young trees as the females lay their eggs inside limbs the size of pencils.
13 Year Cicada on #7 Green
With millions of cicadas flying around for about 4-6 weeks, which is their expected life cycle, we may also see an increase in Cicada Killer Wasps. The Cicada Wasps are more scary then anything else. Very rarely do they sting. The female wasps will sting if grabbed wrongly, but it feels no worse than a pin prick of the finger. A male cicada wasp has no sting, but will fly around you to discourage you from the nest. Typically Cicada Wasp live between 60-75 days and burrow holes in the ground or greens to bury their cicada kill and lay eggs inside. The wasps might actually be our friends this year to reduce the amount of cicadas, but don’t be alarmed they won’t hurt.
Cicada Killer Wasp