Bryan Smith, Area Extension Agent-Agricultural Engineer
Cicadas are extremely noisy insects that hatch once every 13 or 17 years depending on the brood. There are more than 20 separate broods, with most of them being 17-year broods. The United States had two broods of cicadas hatch this spring across the country, Brood XIII, which is a 17-year brood, and Brood XIX, which is a 13-year brood. Thankfully only one brood, Brood XIX, was predominate in Laurens County. Even so residents endured considerable noise from the huge numbers insects as they emerged from the ground, bred, and laid eggs that later hatched and returned into the ground for another 13-year hiatus.
After the cicada noise subsided many residents became concerned with what they thought might be an oak tree disease. Oak trees across the county showed signs of small branches or twigs near the outer edges yellowing and dying. This was not a disease of oak trees, but a part of the cicada life cycle.
After cicadas breed they lay their eggs in the young stems of hardwood trees. Eventually those stems die and break off, falling to the ground. The cicada eggs then hatch and the young move into the ground. This does look like a disease issue for the tree, but it does not cause any health concerns for healthy trees. So the yellowing of small branches are not a cause for concern – they are just the parting act of the cicada.
