By Charles W. Jones
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cicadas are widely used in the Chinese culture. They are placed in the mouths of the dead as a symbol of resurrection, used for medicinal purposes and in the Buddhist religion as a symbol of moving into a higher level of consciousness.

Some consider cicadas a delicacy. They are said to taste like asparagus.
Pregnant female cicadas are the most nutritious because they carry up to 400 high-protein eggs. All cicadas have a good balance of vitamins and are low in fat.

The sounds of lawn mowers and chain saws attract cicadas.
The frequency and tone of the cicada love song depends on the temperature and time of day.

The frequency and tone of the cicada love song depends on the temperature and time of day.

Chitin, a natural polymer, is what the exoskeleton of the cicada, other bugs and crustaceans is made of. Research is being done to find more uses for this material, which is considered to be the next plastic.

A “W” marking on the wing was once thought to be a prediction of war.

Cicadas are a benefit to healthy adult trees because they essentially perform a pruning service by killing off weaker branches.

Cicadas’ only natural predator is a sexually transmitted disease massosporam— a fungus spread by the cidada mating that will eventually kill the cidada and those who have mated with it.

Not all 17-year cicadas can count to 17. Some emerge after only 13 years. About a million such cicadas, from Brood XIV, are expected this year.

• Periodical cicada
• A 17-year lifecycle
• What's the buzz?
• A closer look
• Brood X in the Tristate
• A history lesson
• Bet you didn't know
• Compared to other bugs