Well, OK, I was a little late putting the netting up. I saw the cicadas
laying eggs on my yard trees yesterday, and didn't start protecting the
bonsai until today. But at least I can tell you a little about cicada
egg-laying, because I watched them all morning.

1) Cicadas are very particular about the diameter of the twig they choose:
they like them a little thicker than a pencil. Much thicker than that or
thinner, and they won't lay eggs. The also like long internodes, and
ignor things that are too bushy. They ignored my lion's mane japanese
maple, but went after a regular one with the right diameter twigs.

2) Of all my bonsai, roughly 30 species of trees, they only liked maples
and Stewartia. Boy, they REALLY liked Stewartia. Happily, it was a tree
I was considering for use as a bonsai, once I had pruned back all the
tips. Well, the cicadas were glad to help. So basically, not much harm
done.

3) Man, that's some ovipositor! It's like an exacto knife! Do not
underestimate the damage one female cicada can do. I have orchard trees in
the front yard, and they are really mangling the apple tree. They aren't
as interested in peaches, pears, or crabapples.

If you want to see my cicada pictures (including pics of egg-laying) go to:

http://manticore.us/cicadas.html

and keep hitting "next" until you are bored.

Nina, all out of netting.

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Interesting to compare notes, Nina. They've hit my landscape Crape Myrtles
and Smoketree really badly-- the CM's are magnets to the females, and
branches in diameters ranging from the tips up to one of those thick black
Ticonderoga pencils we used as children have thousands of short, half-inch
long slits longitudinally oriented. As these slits approach a certain
diameter, the branch fails and tips downward, looking as if it was snapped
by an errant vehicle or child.

Oddly, my newly planted Stewartia is being left alone.

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email:


-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ]On Behalf
Of Nina Shishkoff
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 1:03 PM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Cicadas on bonsai: a report from the front lines


Well, OK, I was a little late putting the netting up. I saw the cicadas
laying eggs on my yard trees yesterday, and didn't start protecting the
bonsai until today. But at least I can tell you a little about cicada
egg-laying, because I watched them all morning.

1) Cicadas are very particular about the diameter of the twig they choose:
they like them a little thicker than a pencil. Much thicker than that or
thinner, and they won't lay eggs. The also like long internodes, and
ignor things that are too bushy. They ignored my lion's mane japanese
maple, but went after a regular one with the right diameter twigs.

2) Of all my bonsai, roughly 30 species of trees, they only liked maples
and Stewartia. Boy, they REALLY liked Stewartia. Happily, it was a tree
I was considering for use as a bonsai, once I had pruned back all the
tips. Well, the cicadas were glad to help. So basically, not much harm
done.

3) Man, that's some ovipositor! It's like an exacto knife! Do not
underestimate the damage one female cicada can do. I have orchard trees in
the front yard, and they are really mangling the apple tree. They aren't
as interested in peaches, pears, or crabapples.

If you want to see my cicada pictures (including pics of
egg-laying) go to:

http://manticore.us/cicadas.html

and keep hitting "next" until you are bored.

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++