Coming This Summer to a Back Yard Near You

In their first return to the open mic stage since 1803, Brood XIX and Brood XIII will be joining their voices to serenade you this summer. Get your tickets now as the red-eyed creatures won’t perform together again until 2245!

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Brood XIX, the thirteen-year cicada, and Brood XIII, the seventeen-year cicada, have very similar lifecycles. The females lay their eggs in tree branches. The eggs hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground, where they burrow into the soil and spend the next thirteen or seventeen years feeding on tree roots. When it’s time, they emerge from the ground, mate, and die. The female has laid her eggs in tree branches, and the cycle begins again.

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It’s hard to believe that these one-inch insects can be so noisy (think blow dryer or leaf blower), but rest assured that cicadas are completely harmless, even if they are a nuisance. They do not bite or sting and are not poisonous.

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Birds, raccoons, foxes, and other wildlife feed on them for the short time cicadas are present. It’s kind of like a predators’ McRib sandwich. Their tunneling action is a natural form of aeration and they decaying carcasses add rich nutrients to the soil.

As good as their emergence is from an ecological point of view, none of us want to share our backyard time with cicadas. So what do we do?

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This could be the year to add value to your home with the addition of a screened porch or deck. Screening in an existing porch is an option, as well as designing a custom gazebo or pergola that will create a place to relax or unwind. Many options are available to you in creating a space to enjoy the weather without those pesky cicadas. Or mosquitos. Or June bugs.

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Call Turn-Key Construction today and get started creating your project!

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**Free disposable earplugs with every 2024 screen project!