Sprays may be necessary if egg laying activity is apparent. Applications of Sevin or Vydate within 21 days after apple full bloom may cause thinning. The use of pyrethroids, Vydate, or Sevin is cautioned in orchards because of the subsequent problems with increased spider mite densities due to toxicity to predatory mites. Predation Adult periodical cicadas represent abundant, nontoxic, easily captured prey. Their perfect periodicity and overwhelming abundance suggests that periodical cicada populations likely satiate their predators above ground, limiting the need for predator avoidance behavior.
Periodical cicadas can reproduce at the tremendous densities required to sustain their populations.
Possibly the most important ecosystem function of periodical cicada emergence may be providing increased energy and nutrients to predators. The biomass represented by an emergence can be tremendous, and it benefits predator populations considerably. The only synchronized natural enemy of the periodical cicada is the host-specific fungus Massospora cicadina. Infection takes place below ground, after infected nymphs hatch. Infected cicadas can invade new habitat, taking the fungus, which is extremely infective to other adults, with them.