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What’s this buzz about cicadas?

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There’s a lot of talk about the 17-year hatching of hoards of cicadas in the United States. However, periodical cicadas making news headlines across America are only swarming from the ground in the east and mid-Atlantic states — not Montana.

Tibicen dealbatus — Cicadas common to Montana — hatch each year. The name “cicada” is Latin, and means “tree cricket.” Although they can be a vociferous bunch of noisemakers, they are not related to locusts nor are they in the grasshopper family.

And the best news: cicadas are not crop predators, according to Jack Stivers of MSU Extension.

 “We had them a few years ago,” Stivers said. “The conditions have to be right to get the large numbers. They like the driest years.” 

As a cicada nymph becomes an adult, it molts its skin, leaving behind a bug-like casing. And although they appear fearsome with their wide-set bulging eyes and semi-transparent wings, they truly are harmless. They do not bite or sting, and they provide a healthy feast for gulls, fish and insect-eating carnivores.

Some say cicadas are even fit for human consumption.

Cicadas are low-carb and gluten free; and the female is prized for a higher protein content. Skewered cicadas were selling at the 2012 Olympics in Bejing, China.

A quick search of the Internet reveals recipes for the “shrimp of the land.” If that doesn’t sound appealing, there’s a recipe for candied cicadas.

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