Don't live on the East Coast?
You're going to miss out on the great cicada hatch! I feel for you because I look forward to them. This year is supposed to be spectacular. If you're interested in knowing more, watching action gifs or hearing them, then here's a link to some pretty good information.
http://www.alternet.org/your-sensory-guide-imminent-month-long-cicada-orgy
See, hear and taste the cicada.
If you live on the East Coast, you’ve probably heard that billions of alien bugs called cicadas will emerge from the ground this spring, swarming over a stretch of land from North Carolina to the southern tip of Vermont. When it hits 64 degrees, this collective of cicada offspring called Brood II will rise from their lairs, find mates to make cicada babies, get busy and die. It’s the closest thing we have to a monster movie, but these little critters pose virtually no threat to humans. Since Brood II won’t invade again for another 17 years, we encourage East Coasters to open their eyes, ears and mouths (!) and soak in the cicada swarm. Here’s a sensory guide for maximizing your cicada experience:
Enjoy!
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Yuck. I'm not looking forward to this at all.
They won't last long, just a few weeks...
so haven't ever experienced that. Every year does seem to bring out some heavier hatch of some critter though. it is weird, guess I haven't lived long enough to see the pattern. One year will be some kind of caterpillar, another will be a beetle, rodents, skunks, snakes. It's always something new.
July 2011 beetle explosion
I reverted to childhood nomenclature and called them yellow gold bugs 
(what we called gold bugs are what most call June bugs, but we called the big irridescent green beetles that fly in July, June bugs - how is that for scientific?) these swarmed like that for less than a week and then disappeared. only about three nights did they cover everything in the area under the porch light like that.
how big are ground hogs? we have rock squirrels and ground squirrels that tunnel and can ruin buildings. Snakes will start following them in and take care of the problem, unfortunately for us they are often rattlers and I prefer to NOT have them around the headquarters.
argh I was trying to remember what last year's thing was and almost forgot - grasshoppers. stripped everything, even ate the leaves off my lime and olive trees!
here is a peach pit left on the little tree - they ate 5 of them, stripped all the leaves and most of the bark. I thought it died, but it has put out a few new shoots of leaves.
we seemed to get extra-hammered for about a 1/4 mile all around the HQ. It was kind of weird.
I do have chickens and I took a gallon jar's worth of those beetles to them. They loved the treat. The beetles had congregated on virginia creeper vines under a porch light, so they weren't all over the place in the trees or anything like that.
I have heard of ground hogs and knew they were bigger than squirrels or prairie dogs but have never seen one. I guess cats aren't any good for them
Trapping is probably all you can do if they are already tunneled in, otherwise wire and concrete?
Last time the cicadas bloomed, I worked at a law firm that had never given bonuses to its staff (at least not in any current employees' memories).
One day, out of the blue, and during the bug infestation, the firm announced a one-time bonus for staff.
We called it the Cicada Bonus.
I, for one, haikugal, am not looking forward to this brood. I want to be able to enjoy my deck. :shudder: And I don't want my cats bringing them in.
But I hope that you have fun! 
Have lived in Maryland for twelve years. Bugs came as quite a shock to me.
The first time I heard cicadas was in September, 2000, when Mrs. V. and I were driving across the country. We stopped in OKC to stay with a friend of hers for a couple of days. We got out of the car in Susan's driveway, and I heard this VERY LOUD BUZZ. I looked up and down the street, trying to find where the sound was coming from. I thought four or five of her neighbors must be running table saws in their garages. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the sound was created by BUGS.
I don't know what to do when faced with someone who likes bugs. I admire you and wonder about you. 
I'll pass... I'd have to be pretty hungry or 'something' to eat them I think. lol
Mr In The Wind is allergic to cats. [img]
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Last edited Sat Apr 13, 2013, 03:06 PM - Edit history (1)
with lizards since early childhood...we don't have lizards here and I really miss them. Currently I leave our land fallow, so it can regenerate. I only keep about 5 acres for my horses to graze...and the Canada Geese that breed here. We have about 20 or so (I need to do a count) Blue Heron nests in our big trees at the stream...they totally fascinate me. The sounds they make are incredible...I imagine they sound like dinosaurs...lol...they are such large birds.
Mr Wind is lucky to have you
