Hawaii doesn’t have any poisonous snakes, but it does have some venomous insects. Fire ants, centipedes, and scorpions are among the most common insects found in Hawaii.
You may also come across Cicadas, but they aren’t native to Hawaii.
Cicadas are very loud insects that make a noise when they fly. Cicadas are found mostly in the south of Hawaii to escape hot temperatures, but also in some other places.
Most people think that they are annoying because of their loud buzzing sound. They are able to make sounds up to 100 decibels, which is louder than an airplane or lawnmower.
However, they actually do help clean up the environment by eating plants.
Periodical cicadas have been around since the dinosaurs were alive. Their life cycle lasts about 18 months. Cicadas do not harm humans or other animals.
They eat plant sap and then fly away. Their offspring will be born after 4-6 weeks. When they emerge, they will mate and lay their eggs. Then their offspring will return underground until the process starts again.
When Cicadas shed off their old skin they develop a new exoskeleton, and their colors change.
Males make loud noises when calling for females to mate. Females lay about 500 eggs after mating.
When To Expect Them
Cicadas emerge in late April. A few individuals appear in mid-April, and then a larger number emerges in May.
Scientists differ on the exact range of Brood X Cicadas, but entomologists of Science at Mount St. Joseph University believe they are expected in 14 States plus DC.
Their emergence is closely linked to weather patterns. When there is more rain than usual, cicadas emerge earlier. When there is less rain, they come later.
Garden Risks And Benefits
When cicadas emerge, they might crawl into your house , but there is no reason to worry about them. Cicadas prefer to lay their eggs on the outer part of the branch, and they won’t cause any harm.
Their eggs will hatch after three weeks, and the nymphs will leave the tree and fly away.
Older cicadas with established trees can easily survive if protected by netting. Small trees should be covered by nets to protect them. Insecticides may harm pollinators.
They can be beneficial creatures that help the garden by creating holes in the soil.
Exoskeleton and dead bodies break down into organic matter and nutrients for the soil. Rake up the remains and throw them into your compost bin.
How To Deal With Them
You should wrap your plants in a protective layer. You can also use insecticides around your plants to kill the bugs.
If your plants get damaged, you can help them by watering them and adding more mulch around them.
Protecting your garden from cicadas isn’t as hard as you think! There are four ways to do this:
1) Plant flowers that attract butterflies
2) Use insect repellent
3) Keep the grass short
4) Put up barriers around your garden.
At Risk
Cicadas emerge when weather conditions are right. Scientists are studying the impact of habitat loss and climate change on cicadas.
Concern over cicadas’ welfare is nothing new. Scientists notice how clear-cutting and deforestation are diminishing the insect population.
Distributed across North America, the cicada is a very sensitive creature, and they need specific habitats to survive. Deforestation for agriculture and urbanization is impacting distribution.
Climate change causes the early emergence of cicadas. This happens because the insects count down to their emergence using seasonal changes.
Sometimes there are too many freeze/thaw cycles during a year, throwing them off. This leads to spin-offs.
As we’ve learned, periodical cicadas come back every seventeen years. In the year 2000, there were many more than expected, and they went extinct after a few years.
They then came back in 2017. This is the third time cicadas have emerged. Scientists want to know if they’ll emerge every seventeen years or if there will be another mass extinction event.
Other Insects Found In Hawaii
Cicadas are probably the least bothersome creatures to worry about in Hawaii. There are about 174 types of bugs in Hawaii.
Most of them are harmless, but some are very dangerous if handled or bitten. Insects should be kept away from people as much as possible.
Centipedes in Hawaii can grow up to 12 inches long and 1 inch wide. If you encounter a cockroach, make sure to kill them outside – the scent a dead cockroach gives off attracts more cockroaches to the area.
There are 19 types of cockroaches in Hawaii’i, but fortunately there are only 3 common ones that are usually found in the house.
Cockroaches can eat almost anything, including human skin and hair. A cockroach infestation can cause serious health problems, so you should get rid of them as soon as possible.
Spiders can be a problem in Hawaii. Their eggs are carried around by their mothers until they hatch.
Cane spiders don’t eat other foods, but they do eat plants, so be sure to use products to help keep the little critters away,
Conclusion
Although Cicadas exist in Hawaii they aren’t around all the time so any issues with them will be short-lived, it’s all the other critters you have to watch out for! You’ve been warned.
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