There the climate and soil conditions combine to offer a near-perfect growing environment.Īirhart plans to reapply for the Horticulture Research Institute again next year to continue his research. Known as the “Nursery Capital of the World,” McMinnville and Warren County are home to over 400 nurseries. Neighbors to the south in McMinnville and Warren County will be watching his research. While Airhart’s research will be beneficial to nurseries all over the world, those close to home will be especially interested in his findings. “We often go to the evergreen trees and use nets to catch the cicadas because they fly in, and they land on it, but they’re not laying eggs in it,” he said. Most conifers have needle-like or scale-like leaves and keep their needles all year, thus they are called “evergreen.” Most of these trees have a sticky sap which Airhart said could be why the cicadas avoid laying their eggs in them. These are trees that bear their seeds in cones. “I’m trying to identify which are these crops that were always damaged and then I got the idea to look at the crops that were not damaged and figure out why.”Īccording to Airhart, cicadas do not seem to like conifer trees. I have data from these nurseries where there were some trees damaged, some undamaged, and some green and some all yellow, and some were damaged beyond recovery,” Airhart said.

“Right now, I’m looking at my letters and reports. Cicadas can aerate lawns and improve water infiltration into the ground, and they add nutrients to the soil as they decompose. Cicadas damage young saplings and trees up to five years old.Ĭicadas do have some redeeming qualities they are a valuable food source for birds and other predators. The use of netting, sound, motion, water soluble dyes, spraying chemical and natural repellents such as diatomaceous earth or clay at the base of the trees, have all been or are currently being researched as viable means of deterring the cicadas from harming trees.

Predators of cicadas