Editing Periodical cicadas (section)

==Description==
[[File:Many cicadas 2004 hi.ogv|thumb|Many Brood X periodical cicadas (''Magicicada'') (video with sound)]]
The winged [[imago]] (adult) periodical cicada has two red compound eyes, three [[Simple eye in invertebrates|small ocelli]], and a black dorsal thorax. The wings are translucent with orange veins. The underside of the abdomen may be black, orange, or striped with orange and black, depending on the species.<ref name=species>{{cite web |last=Alexander |first=Richard D. |title=The Evolutionary Relationships of 17-Year and 13-Year Cicadas, and Three New Species (Homoptera, Cicadidae, ''Magicicada'') |author2=Moore, Thomas E. |url=http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/c700lam62.pdf |publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology |year=1962|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801043043/http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/c700lam62.pdf |archive-date=1 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Adults are typically {{convert|2.4|to|3.3|cm|in|1|abbr=on}}, depending on species, generally about 75% the size of most of the annual cicada species found in the same region. Mature females are slightly larger than males.<ref name="encycent">{{cite book |last=Capinera |first=John L. |title=Encyclopedia of Entomology |year=2008 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4020-6242-1 |pages=2785–2794 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i9ITMiiohVQC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624051424/https://books.google.com/books?id=i9ITMiiohVQC |archive-date=24 June 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Magicicada'' males typically form large aggregations that sing in chorus to attract receptive females. Different species have different characteristic calling songs. The call of [[decim periodical cicadas]] is said to resemble someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "Pharaoh".<ref name=nature>{{cite web |last=Stranahan |first=Nancy |title=Nature Notes from the Eastern Forest |url=http://www.highlandssanctuary.org/nature.notes.1.cicada/nature.notes.htm |publisher=[[Arc of Appalachia]] |access-date=10 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005233752/http://www.highlandssanctuary.org/nature.notes.1.cicada/nature.notes.htm |archive-date=5 October 2011}}</ref> The [[cassini periodical cicadas|cassini]] and decula periodical cicadas (including ''M.&nbsp;tredecula'') have songs that intersperse buzzing and ticking sounds.<ref name=encycent/>

Cicadas cannot sting and do not normally bite. Like other [[Auchenorrhyncha]] (true) bugs, they have mouthparts used to pierce plants and suck their sap. These mouthparts are used during the nymph stage to tap underground roots for water, minerals and carbohydrates and in the adult stage to acquire nutrients and water from plant stems. An adult cicada's [[proboscis]] can pierce human skin when it is handled, which is painful but in no other way harmful. Cicadas are neither [[venom]]ous nor [[poisonous]] and there is no evidence that they or their bites can transmit diseases.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|author=Dan|date=28 June 2008|url=https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/do-cicadas-bite-or-sting/|title=Do cicadas bite or sting?|work=Cicada Mania|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507172113/https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/do-cicadas-bite-or-sting/|archive-date=7 May 2021|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|first=Korin|last=Miller|date=24 March 2021|url=https://www.prevention.com/life/a32670585/what-is-cicada/|title=How to Prepare for a Swarm of Cicadas This Year—and Why You Should Never Kill Them|work=Prevention|publisher=Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506213739/https://www.prevention.com/life/a32670585/what-is-cicada/|archive-date=6 May 2021|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|author=West Virginia University|author-link=West Virginia University|date=27 July 2020|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200727145424.htm|title=Return of the zombie cicadas: Manipulative qualities of fungal-infected flyers|work=Science Daily|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505124237/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200727145424.htm|archive-date=5 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

Oviposition by female periodical cicadas damages pencil-sized twigs of woody vegetation. Mature trees rarely suffer lasting damage, although peripheral twig die-off or "flagging" may result.<ref name=cook>{{cite journal |last=Cook |first=William M. |author2=Robert D. Holt |title=Periodical cicada (''Magicicada cassini'') oviposition damage: visually impressive yet dynamically irrelevant |journal=American Midland Naturalist |year=2002 |volume=147 |issue=2 |pages=214–224 |url=http://people.biology.ufl.edu/rdholt/holtpublications/119.pdf |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2002)147[0214:PCMCOD]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=45098071 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807172257/http://people.biology.ufl.edu/rdholt/holtpublications/119.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2011}}</ref> Planting young trees or shrubs is best postponed until after an expected emergence of the periodical cicadas. Existing young trees or shrubs can be covered with [[cheesecloth]] or other mesh netting with holes that are {{convert|3/8|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} in diameter or smaller to prevent damage during the oviposition period,<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|first1=Lauren|last1=Cox|first2=Daisy|last2=Hernandez|date=14 June 2020|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/how-to/a8979/8-tips-to-survive-cicada-season-15502820/|title=How to Deal With the Cacophony of Brood X Cicadas This Spring|work=[[Popular Mechanics]]|publisher=Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406165802/https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/how-to/a8979/8-tips-to-survive-cicada-season-15502820/|archive-date=6 April 2021|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last=Raupp|first=Michael J.|date=15 May 2013|url=https://bugoftheweek.squarespace.com/blog/2013/6/4/brood-ii-up-in-maryland-imagicicadai-spp|title=Brood II Up In Maryland, Magicicada spp..|work=Bug Of The Week|publisher=University of Maryland Extension|access-date=11 May 2021}}</ref> which begins about a week after the first adults emerge and lasts until all females have died.