After mating, the adult females begin to lay eggs in slits in the twigs of various hosts. Upon hatching, nymphs drop to the ground, burrow beneath the soil surface, and spend the next two to five years feeding on plant roots. Natural Enemies of Cicadas Cicadas have several natural enemies, many with unusual habits. Other hunting wasps attack smaller cicadas, using paralyzed cicadas to provision nests dug in soil. These develop as parasites of cicada nymphs.
Adults emerge in summer.
Also, the Mississippi kite, a large predatory bird normally found along the Gulf Coast, has expanded its summer range into the Arkansas Valley, where it subsists almost entirely on cicadas. Control No effective controls for Colorado cicadas have been developed nor are any likely necessary. High value plants, particularly younger trees that are still getting established, may be protected by covering them with netting to exclude the adults. The largest species in Colorado, primarily found in the southeastern areas of the state. T. dealbatus, a native of forested areas along rivers, has adapted well to landscape plantings and has become common in many towns and cities, particularly along the Arkansas Valley.