NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — If you haven't heard yet, thousands of cicadas are here in Middle Tennessee, and the trees in your backyard could be in danger of dying.
A professor with the University of Tennessee told News 2 that as they learn more about the cicadas' habits, they have yet to learn the full extent of their possible damage.
"There have been a lot of studies that have been done," University of Tennessee Assistant Professor Dr. Midhula Gireesh with the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology explained. "A lot of results are yet to come."
Experts with the University of Tennessee said the process of laying those eggs could put sapling trees in danger.
"She is going to make multiple slits, and she is going to make the slits and then move and then make the slits so that could cause some type of flagging, and sometimes very young trees could not withstand that," Dr. Gireesh said.
The concern lies explicitly with outdoor nurseries with hundreds of seedling trees waiting to be planted.
"I'll drive around and probably go to some nurseries and talk to them like what are the impacts," Dr. Gireesh said. "We are also getting another brood next year, so it is back-to-back."
The pregnant female cicadas can lay 60 eggs per cut. The eggs will hatch in 15 days to a month. Once hatched, the young cicadas will bury themselves for another 13 years.
However, the impact the flagging has on the sapling could end the tree's life early.
"Trees that are kind of simple, that are not bushy, or that are not like does not have a lot of things happening, or like branches, they find it more attractive to be in those trees," Dr. Gireesh said. "For instance, conifers that have a plant sap in that they are kind of not attracted to that."
She adds that if you do see cicadas flying to your small trees and shrubs, it might be best to try covering them with cheesecloth to keep females from cutting those slits in small limbs.
When the 13-year cicadas die, the annual dog-day cicadas will replace them in July and August.
"If you are a bug enthusiast, go out there and enjoy!" Dr. Gireesh exclaimed. "It is very interesting to watch them coming up and shedding their exoskeleton and how they are becoming adults."
