Marshall County Post

8A —Marshall County Post, Thursday, April 25, 2024 They’re back: Brood XIX ready to invade DUANE SHERRILL Contributor B rood XIX is about to make its fi rst appear- ance since 2011 bringing ear-splitting noise and potential for plant dam- age as billions or even trillions of the cicadas will make themselves known pretty soon for just over a month before disappearing for another 13 years. Middle Tennessee ap- pears to be in the cross- hairs of this year’s emer- gence. Brood XIX is only one of the broods that impact this area. Brood XIV, for instance, will re- turn next year after last being seen in 2008, mak- ing them a 17-year cicada. According to informa- tion provided by Dr. Kar- la Addesso, Entomologist and Director of the Ten- nessee State University Nursery Research Station in McMinnville, cicadas usually emerge in early May. Their numbers can di ff er greatly in density across the emergence area. After fi ve days or longer and depending on temperature, adult cica- da activities begin, both in fl ight and song, as they gain strength in their muscles. Adult males usually produce charac- teristic sounds in chorus trees during courtship to attract females. This high-pitched, shrill call is produced by two drum- like membranes on the side of the abdomen. Adult periodical cica- das are medium-size in- sects. The body is black, while the legs, eyes and wing veins are reddish- orange. Mature nymphs are commonly found within the top few inches of soil. When soil temper- atures reach 64 degrees nymphs will begin dig- ging to the surface. Fol- lowingmating, the female cicada uses her knife-like ovipositor to deposit eggs into slits made on twigs. The female can lay 24 to 28 eggs in each slit and will repeat this pro- cedure, cutting numer- ous slits along the same branch and depositing more eggs. Each female can lay approximately 400 to 600 eggs during her lifetime, which can be four to fi ve weeks. Egg laying is the ma- jor cause of cicada dam- age in nurseries and new- ly planted orchards. Egg laying punctures causes the twig tips to wilt and leaves to turn brown; a condition referred to as “ fl agging”. Also, egg- laying wounds can serve as entry routes for other insects and diseases. After about a month, eggs hatch into wing- less white nymphs with an ant-like appearance. These nymphs fall from tree branches and dig into the moist soil using modi fi ed front legs until a suitable root is found. Cicadas have piercing- sucking mouthparts, and nymphs feed by sucking xylem sap from the roots. The nymphs continue to feed and develop for 13 or 17 years, depending on the species. In their fi nal year, the mature nymphs will emerge from the ground shortly after sunset and crawl onto a vertical surface, which is often the bark of young trees or neighboring vegetation. At this stage, they molt for the last time and metamorphose into fully-winged adults on young trees during nighttime hours between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Dur- ing this process, the old empty exoskeleton is left behind. Over a few hours, the wings expand fully, and the body obtains its natural pigmentation. Once the adult is fully hardened, it will fl y into a nearby tree canopy and the life cycle repeats. Egg-laying damage by female cicadas have been observed on over 200 woody tree species. Woody trees with the most noticeable symp- toms include American hop hornbeam, Ameri- can hornbeam apple, ash, cherry, cypress, dog- wood, elm, grapevines, hickory, maple, oak, peach, pear, redbud, ser- viceberry, and willow. During insurance appraisal of egg-laying damage in 2011 by Brood XIX (13-yr cycle) at seven Middle Tennessee nurs- eries, those trees deter- mined to be “Damaged Beyond Repair” includ- ed: seven species of oak, four species of maple and cherry, three species of redbud and peach/plum, and two species of elm, dogwood, and willow; single species included golden raintree, holly, honey locust, London plane tree, serviceberry, sourwood, sugarberry, and tulip poplar. Small trees can be protected by enclos- ing them in cheesecloth, tobacco canvas, mesh screenings (<1/2-inch or 3/8-inch openings, and polypropylene fabric. Ahern reported netting gave the best protection and cost less than chemi- cal control. Covering pro- tection should be applied just before emergence until adults are gone 6–8 weeks later. Pro- tect ponds in ornamen- tal plant facilities with screen or plastic mesh to avoid any buildup and decay of periodical cicadas (oxygen deple- tion of water has been observed when decaying cicadas are present); and regularly clean irrigation pond skimmers or fi lters during periodical cicada emergence to avoid any blockage. As for their numbers, Dr. Addesso said that Cicada scientists believe that emerging every 13 or 17 years in huge num- bers is their defense. It is referred to as the ‘preda- tor satiation hypothesis.’ Since the insects have no physical defenses, they overwhelm predators by emerging in such high numbers that the preda- tors can’t eat them all. That allows the survi- vors to mate and lay eggs safely after the predators in the area are full. They can be as dense as one million per acre. Dr. Addesso noted that one thing that is sometimes overlooked about the outbreak is that they often can make meals for not just ani- mals but also people. “You can think of ci- cadas as ‘land shrimp’. Eating them is safe as long as you are not aller- gic to shell fi sh,” she said. “There are a number of free recipe books online. The newly emerging ci- cadas are the best to eat because their shells have not yet hardened. To col- lect these, wait until 9 pm, grab a headlamp, fi nd a large tree and look for cicadas hanging up- side down, emerging from their nymph skins. They will be a creamy white color.” Want to Become a Host Family? W e have always celebrated diversity in the USA and one exciting way American families can do this is by hosting a foreign exchange student. Exchange students are preparing to travel to Tennessee inAugust 2024 fromall across the world, including Germany, Spain, Thailand, Mongolia, Ecuador, and Brazil. Becoming a host family for one of these exchange students starts with a willingness to host. Here’s a story from a Chapel Hill, Tennessee host family who hosted recently – “Wewere soblessed tohost aBrazilianexchange student this past winter. A piece of our hearts is now in South America, We will be traveling to see her this December. I would highly encourage hosting an exchange student. As a mom, I am constantly trying to expose my children to people that are di ff erent than us. I want to broaden their world, not narrow it.” Lisa Chapman Sara Fletcher is another Tennessee host family and is also the Regional Director of Tennessee for the organization International Experience. She is recruiting host families in Tennessee for the 2024 students. “You can host anywhere.” Sara says , “Our students are waiting for their placement assignments; we just hope to fi nd warm and welcoming families who want to share the American culture and learn their student’s culture. We will do a background check and home visit before we approve you to host. This is really an amazing chance to give back to the world – it is also such an incredible adventure your family will never forget! I hope to hear from you.” You can contact Sara at s. f l etcher@ie-usa.org or by phone 423-310-1393. The website is ie-usa.org T he Marshall County Education Association will sponsor (1) $1000 scholarship for any student majoring in education that will have a junior or senior college status in the fall of 2024. The applicants must have been a graduate of any of the 3high schools inMarshall County. Formore information applicants may contact the guidance counselor of each high school or send requests for applications to the following: Nicky Randolph (Co-President) nicky.randolph@mcstn.net. All applications are due by Friday, May 3, 2024. MCEA Scholarship This Week In History April 25–May 1 April 25, 1901, New York became the fi rst state to mandate license plates when Governor Benjamin Odell, Jr., signed a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display the initials of the owner’s name on the back. April 25, 1990, The Hubble Space Telescope, was placed into operation by the crew on the Discovery space shuttle. April 26, 1607, the fi rst permanent English settlers in North America landed at Cape Henry, Chesapeake Bay. April 26, 1859, U.S. Congressman Daniel E. Sickles was acquitted on the grounds of “temporary insanity” for murder – fi rst time the defense was used successfully in the U.S. April 26, 1986, in the early morning hours, an explosion and fi re at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine released large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere. April 27, 1810, Ludwig van Beethoven composed his famous piano piece “Für Elise.” April 27, 1965, “Pampers” disposable diapers were patented. April 27, 1967, U.S. performed the nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. April 27, 1981 Xerox introduced the computer mouse April 28, 1967, Boxer Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army citing religious reasons and was stripped of his title at the height of the Vietnam War. His subsequent conviction was later overturned by the Supreme Court. April 28, 2003, Apple launched the iTunes Store giving users the ability to purchase and download music from the internet to their iTunes library. April 29, 1945, conscientious objector Desmond Doss saved 75 wounded soldiers in the Battle of Okinawa at Hacksaw Ridge. April 29, 1992, the riots in Los Angeles erupted following the acquittal of four white police o ffi cers caught on camera in 1991 beating Rodney King, a black motorist. April 29, 2018, “The Simpsons” aired its 636th episode making it the longest-running scripted prime-time show in the U.S. – surpassed Gunsmoke’s previous record 1955–75. April 30, 1939, the National Broadcasting Company made the fi rst public television broadcast in the U.S. May 1, 1920, Babe Ruth recorded his fi rst HR for the New York Yankees in a 6-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. May 1, 1931, New York’s Empire State Building o ffi cially opened and for four decades it was the tallest building in the world. May 1, 1941, General Mills introduced CheeriOats - later renamed Cheerios in 1945. Cemetery Decorations Decoration at Beth- birei Cemetery , Sat- urday, May 4. The 208 th annual meeting will be held on this date before the decoration ceremony. Decoration day at Collins Cemetery , Saturday, May 11, 9 to 11 a.m. A board member will be present to take donations or they can be mailed to: Collins Cemetery, 2877 Sheppard Branch Rd., Lewisburg, TN 37091. Decoration Day for Lone Oak Cemetery and Cook Cemetery will be Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2024. Donations for cem- etery maintenance may be mailed to or dropped o ff to the City of Lew- isburg, 131 E. Church Street, Lewisburg, TN 37091. Decoration Day at New Hope Cemetery in Ostella will be Satur- day, May 11 and Sunday, May 12. Board members will be present to accept donations which will be used for the maintenance of the grounds. Decoration Day at Duncanville Cem- etery , Old Mooresville Highway, will be Sunday, May 12. Someone will be present that day at 11 a.m. to collect donations for the upkeep of the cemetery. Donations can also be mailed to: James A. Gipson, 3841 Gipson Road, Cornersville, TN 37047 (931)293-2378 Decoration Day at Old Orchard Cem- etery in Petersburg on Sunday, May 12 at 2:00 p.m. Someone will be at the cemetery May 10, May 11, and May 12 to take donations for the maintenance of the cem- etery. Donations can also be mailed to: Old Orchard Cemetery, P. O. Box 94, Petersburg, TN 37144. Decoration at Short Cemetery will be Satur- day, May 11 and Sunday, May 12. Donations which will go to the upkeep of the cemetery can be giv- en to a board member on these dates or donation to: Randy Foster, 1638 Springplace Road, Lewis- burg, TN 37091. Anyone who has a family member or love one buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Belfast, it is time to make a donation for the upkeep of the cemetery, you can send your donations to Gary Davis at 1322 Bay Roberts Rd., Belfast, TN 37019 Cicada close up 2024 Brood XIX 2025 Brood XIV