Latest Cicada News
T. tibicen calling in Massachusetts!
Update 3/15/11: After the writing of this article the species formerly known as Tibicen chloromera has been changed to Tibicen tibicen. This article has been edited to reflect this change.
Hey all, at first I thought that maybe I was crazy, just hearing things. This site is only supposed to be about the two species of Tibicen cicadas known to be in Massachusetts Tibicen lyricen and Tibicen canicularis. Now though, there may be a third!
Yesterday I was outside with my fiance and both of us
Date Posted: 2005-08-11 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
More Cicadas Obtained via Cicada Killer
Pine Grove Cemetery, Westford - Yesterday I emailed Professor Chuck Holliday to ask just how many Cicadas he would like to have for study from this lek of Cicada Killers. I have already obtained 7 total Cicadas for him, six Tibicen lyricen and one Tibicen canicularis for a total of 7 cicadas. He emailed requesting three additional specimens. I told him it wouldn't be a problem so I'm back one more time.
This will probably be the last time this year to observe these Cicada Killers because while
Date Posted: 2005-07-29 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada Projects
Sit and Wait for Cicadas Still Holds True
Pine Grove Cemetery, Westford - Last night we had very bad thunderstorms roll through our area. Power went out around 7:00pm and didn't come back on till after 11:00 pm. Lots of trees blew over and there was even some hale. Not much to do during that time. However, I was curious as to the devastation that may have occurred in the Cicada Killers' burrows, so I went back today to have a look.
While the burrows were still wet from all the rain the previous evening, there was not much damage. On
Date Posted: 2005-07-28 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada Projects
Sit and Wait for Cicadas
I should of thought of this a long time ago. After studying these Cicada Killers for about a week or two, I have learned a whole lot about these cool insects. Instead of driving everywhere to try to obtain cicadas while they are molting, all I have to do is pull up a chair and wait for a female Cicada Killer to bring in a Cicada.
Today, I managed to wrestle away from female Cicada killers, three Tibicen lyricen cicadas. Two were male and one was a female. It was quite easy really. Here is how
Date Posted: 2005-07-26 Comments: (1) Category: Cicada Projects
Giant Cicada Killer Wasps in Westford
5:00 pm - Pine Grove Cemetery, Westford - Man there are tons of Cicada Killer wasps here. It seems like every time I come back, there are more. I'm sitting right in the thick of them and again, they don't seem to be bothering me at all.
I have noticed many burrows (around 8) under bushes which are in the same proximity. The mounds that the female Cicada Killer creates are almost touching. I've also observed females entering and leaving. Is this normal for so many females to be so close to each
Date Posted: 2005-07-25 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
More Cicada Morphologies Noted
Below are a set of thumbnails to bigger images of the the cicadas that I collected on the 21st during the night visit to Fairview Cemetery. These photos were taken two days after their teneral stage to ensure they are the true colors.
The Tibicen lyricen specimens have also been added to the Morphologies in Tibicen Cicadas page. You can compare these two new specimens to the previous specimens collected. I am currently working on a morphologies page for Tibicen canicularis a
Date Posted: 2005-07-23 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
Heavy Traffic at Fairview Cemetery
9:00 PM - Fairview Cemetery - Westford Ma. It's been dead here (pun intended) all day. I mean no one visited the cemetery during the day because it was just way too hot. But it is now after dark and the place is being visited by high school aged teenagers probably looking to party quietly or just to neck.
Even the police have been in here patrolling. I'm surprised the police didn't say anything to me though. After all, I'm walking around in a dark cemetery shining my flashlight up into the tree
Date Posted: 2005-07-21 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
Big Bad Wasps in Westford, Ma.
3:00 PM - Pine Grove Cemetery - Westford, Ma. I'm back again to see if I can snap a few pictures of these Cicada Killer Wasps. It's later in the day and hopefully they won't be as active. Sure enough I sucessfully photographed a male perching on a bush. I find these wasps quite facinating. While they are very large 1 - 2 inches long, they really seem oblivous to my presence. They are buzzing all around me and I'm right in the thick of them.
I'm really not the least bit fearful of them. They don
Date Posted: 2005-07-21 Comments: (2) Category: Cicada General Info
Cicada Killers of New England
This year I discovered the very fascinating Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus) here in Massachusetts. If you have been reading the blogs for this year, you know about all the information that I have collected on these amazing insects.
While seeking further knowledge on Cicada Killer wasps I found Professor Chuck Holliday from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania who has been studying these insects for several years now. I firmly believe in helping others out in their various fields of study
Date Posted: 2005-07-21 Comments: (78) Category: Cicada Projects