Royal Alberta Museum: Invertebrate Zoology - Bug Facts

[Caterpillars and Other Immature Insects]

Fact Sheets: Commonly Observed and Asked About Insects and Spiders Found in Alberta

Cicada (Okanagana spp.)

Cicada
Credit: Terry Thormin

INTRODUCTION

This is one of those insects that people rarely see but often hear. Cicadas make that high pitched, dry, rattling buzz that comes from the trees on hot summer days and seems to go on forever, not unlike the sound of high-tension power lines. You can click here to listen to an Alberta cicada.

IDENTIFICATION

Seeing a cicada is much more difficult than hearing one because they often either go quiet or fly away when you get too close. Look for them on a slender branch of the tree, often fairly high up. The clear, dark-veined wings extend well beyond the tip of the black abdomen. With a body of almost 2.5 cm in length, this is a big insect for Alberta

DISTRIBUTION

You’ll find them throughout the province wherever there are woodlands. This genus of cicadas is distributed throughout much of the United States and southern Canada, although most species are western in distribution.

TIME OF YEAR

In Alberta adult cicadas usually appear first around late May and will last through July. Although adults live only three or four weeks, emergence occurs over a period of a few weeks.

HABITAT AND HABITS

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground as larvae. During this time they feed primarily on roots. The Okanagana cicadas are not periodical cicadas (emerging only every fourteen or seventeen years), because some individuals will be present every year. Although their life cycles are not well known, it would appear that they can take from four to nine years to reach sexual maturity, probably depending on the species. Although adults do feed on plant juices, they do not live long, probably up to about four weeks. Females tend to die quickly after laying eggs.

SIMILAR SPECIES

There are at least six species of Okanagana cicadas in Alberta, and about 36 species in North America. Trying to identify them is beyond the scope of this article.

COMMENTS

In Alberta cicadas are never numerous enough to be considered pests. In fact, most Albertans are surprised to find out that we have any cicadas in the province. In other parts of North America, especially where the periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) occur, they can be pests and at times major nuisances when billions (as high as 1.5 million per acre) emerge all at one time every fourteen or seventeen years.

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Last update: October 22 2004