Damage occurs when the female cicada cuts two parallel slits in small twigs where she lays 24-28 eggs. Sometimes, a continuous slit 2 to 3 inches long is formed as she slowly makes her way up a twig. The slits cause flagging, or breakage, to the tips of the branches. The eggs hatch in midsummer, and young cicadas, or nymphs, fall to the ground. At the end of this time, usually in May or early June, nymphs move to the surface and crawl up a tree trunk where they shed their skins.
Adults are red eyed and dark bodied.
They do not feed and live only for a few weeks while reproduction takes place. Males are responsible for the noise when they call for mates. One of the best ways to prevent damage is to cover young trees with cheesecloth, finely woven netting or tobacco shade cloth. This physically prevents females from laying eggs in the twigs. Chemical control is difficult during the peak of egg laying, because of the large numbers of cicadas present and the relatively slow action of the pesticide.