By Joy Kraft
The Cincinnati Enquirer

To escape the cicada screeching, most folks can just go inside and shut the door. But not Kay Bingham of Finneytown.

This week, cicadas were making their way inside, down her family-room chimney. There were "12 to 15 of them" by midday Monday, she said.

Bingham had been plucking them by their golden wings and gently booting them out the door.

"I'm not killing them. What's the point?" she says. "There's too many. I've never seen anything like it."

Unable to close the fireplace damper, Bingham called American Chimney and Masonry, which has gotten other calls about the insects. They checked the damper, found it off track and made repairs.

"There's really no foolproof way to keep them out," says Kelly Thompson of American.

"Chimney caps won't keep them out," says Brittany Baldwin of Air Rite Chimney Restoration in Finneytown, which has also gotten frantic calls. "They're meant for raccoons and birds."

Keeping the damper shut is the only defense.

Capping off chimneys from the outside with a piece of sheet metal and silicone is not an option chimney companies recommend, since many chimneys serve as vents for household appliances. Dangerous fumes could back up into the home if those pathways are sealed off.

One option - if the damper isn't doing the trick - is sealing the fireplace opening with storm window shrink wrap. Kits are available at most hardware stores.

E-mail jkraft@enquirer.com