*Image from University of Missouri Extension
The media has been buzzing about the impending buzz of cicadas for the summer of 2024. Garden Centers across the nation have been getting flooded with questions about the emergence of the two broods of these insects. Long story shorts, we are not worried about the effects this will have on plants and will not be breaking out the bug nets! The media has done what the media usually does: made something more of an issue than it needs to be. Good news is, we are not worried! Our horticulturalists have done extensive research, and we will be going about business as normal.
Until we are able to expand on this, here are our tried and true sources on this topic!
United States Department of Agriculture: Insect Alert (Includes Brood X info, Life cycle, Host Plants, Ecological Benefits, and Managing & Reducing Damage
University of Missouri Extension (Includes direct to Missouri effects)
University of Connecticut (Includes Brood Map)