How To Cicada-Proof Your Trees: Morton Arboretum Shares Tips

LISLE, IL — You may have heard them. If you haven't heard them yet, you've definitely heard about them. The cicadas are here. As trillions of the insects begin their storied double emergence, Morton Arboretum has offered some tips on how to keep your trees safe from cicadas.

“Healthy mature trees and shrubs, which can better tolerate cicada twig damage, typically experience some harmless natural pruning,” Morton Arboretum's Plant Health Care Leader Stephanie Adams shared in a statement.

She added, "It is usually unnecessary to prune out any visible cicada damage on larger trees, as dead twigs will likely fall off and larger branches are unaffected."

Here's what the arboretum suggests:

• Keep susceptible trees healthy before the cicadas arrive
• Put off planting very young and small trees
• Use protective netting or tulle to cover trees and shrubs, making sure to use clips to close any openings
• Avoid using insecticides, as the arboretum says netting is more effective

“While their noise and presence on sidewalks can be a nuisance, cicadas are not dangerous to people or a threat to healthy mature trees and shrubs," Adams said, "But smaller young trees, as well as unhealthy older or stressed trees and shrubs, could suffer serious damage from the female cicadas’ egg-laying process.”

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