Do Cicadas Eat Mosquitoes? A Detailed Look

Cicadas are fascinating insects that emerge en masse every few years in parts of the United States. Their loud buzzing calls can’t be missed during cicada season. If you’ve wondered whether these large bugs feast on pesky mosquitoes, you’re not alone.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Cicadas do not actively hunt and eat mosquitoes, but mosquitoes may occasionally get trapped in cicadas’ emergence holes and die.

Cicadas Don’t Actively Prey on Other Insects Like Mosquitoes

Cicadas are herbivores that feed on plant sap

Cicadas are fascinating insects with some unique features, but hunting and killing mosquitoes is not one of them. Cicadas actually don’t prey on any other insects at all. They are herbivores, meaning they only eat plant material.

The mouthparts and digestive system of cicadas are specially adapted to consume plant sap. Their needle-like mouth pierces into the tender stems and branches of plants to suck up the nutrient-rich sap.

The sap provides cicadas with proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients they need to survive and develop.

While cicadas may accidentally ingest small insects if they happen to be on the plant, they do not have hunting skills or instincts to actively chase down mosquitoes or other prey. Their physiology is designed for passive sap feeding, not active carnivory.

Cicadas lack the hunting skills to chase mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are quick, aerial insects that would be difficult for the slow, grounded cicada to catch. A cicada’s physiology is simply not suited for chasing down other fast-moving insects.

Cicadas have large, bulky bodies and six relatively thick legs designed for gripping onto branches. They are not built for speed and agility. In contrast, mosquitoes have long, slender legs and bodies perfectly adapted for rapid flight and aerial maneuvers to escape predators.

Additionally, cicadas lack key insect predator features like large mandibles for grabbing prey, or the quick reaction time required to snatch a mosquito out of the air. They do not have the natural hunting instincts or physical tools to actively hunt mosquitoes and other insects.

Male cicadas are too focused on mating to hunt

During the few weeks adult cicadas are above ground, the males are almost entirely focused on reproducing. Their short adult stage is devoted to chorusing and mating to pass on their genes before dying.

The male cicada’s mating call, which is one of the loudest insect sounds, is produced to attract females. The males are so fixated on chorusing and breeding that they do not allocate energy and time to unrelated activities like insect hunting.

In addition, the male abdomen houses its large singing organs underneath the stiff exoskeleton plates. This further reduces male cicadas’ mobility and ability to capture prey like mosquitoes.

So while the cicadas’ emergence may naturally reduce local mosquito populations through competition, they are not voracious mosquito hunters. Cicadas are plant-sap sucking insects focused on reproducing, not chasing down mosquito prey.

How Cicadas Emerge from the Ground Can Trap Mosquitoes

Each spring, billions of cicadas emerge from underground after spending years in development. This massive emergence of insects can inadvertently become a death trap for mosquitoes in some key ways.

Cicadas construct emergence holes to reach the surface

Cicadas spend most of their lives underground, tunneling and feeding on tree roots. When they are ready to transition to adulthood, they construct small tunnel channels called emergence holes that lead to the surface. These holes are about the diameter of a pencil and can be several inches deep.

Digging these emergence holes is hard work for cicadas! They use their strong front legs to loosen and claw away dirt while using their abdomen to push excess soil out. It takes patience and diligence to carve a path to freedom.

But for mosquitoes, these laboriously crafted holes turn into inadvertent death traps.

Mosquitoes may accidentally fly into these holes and die

The vast number of 1⁄2 inch wide holes cicadas drill into the ground can entrap small insects like mosquitoes. Here’s how:

• Mosquitoes resting on the ground may accidentally fall into the holes and become trapped.
• Mosquitoes flying low to the ground can mistakenly fly into the holes, especially at dusk when visibility is lower.
• Once inside the tunnel, they have trouble flying out due to the narrow space.
• Trapped mosquitoes likely die from starvation, predation by ants, or simply by being buried alive as cicadas seal up the holes after emerging.

Entomologists estimate that each emergence hole has the potential to trap and kill up to 7-8 mosquitoes. With billions of cicadas emerging across a region, this can inadvertently eliminate several million mosquitoes!

Researchers in 2013 examined areas in Indiana impacted by a mass emergence of cicadas. They found zones with higher densities of cicadas also had noticeably lower mosquito populations post-emergence. The correlation points to how cicadas can unintentionally help suppress mosquito numbers through the act of surfacing from underground.

So while cicadas don’t intentionally set out to eliminate mosquitoes, their emergence habits can passively trap and kill these disease-spreading pests. Fewer mosquitoes around is a welcome public health benefit during cicada season!

Mosquito Populations Not Significantly Affected by Cicadas

Any trapped mosquitoes are a minute fraction of the population

While cicadas do indeed eat mosquitoes, the number they consume is just a tiny fraction of the total mosquito population. Mosquitoes breed prolifically in the spring and summer months, with a single female laying hundreds of eggs at a time.

Their numbers easily reach into the billions across North America. The emergence of periodical cicadas, even in large broods, is unlikely to make a significant dent.

Researchers who studied cicada impacts on mosquito populations found no noticeable decrease in years when cicadas were present. Mosquito populations and infection rates of mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile virus were not lower in cicada years compared to non-cicada years.

The seasonal cycles of mosquito activity continued normally. At most, some unlucky mosquitoes end up as snacks for hungry cicadas.

Mosquito breeding cycles continue despite cicadas’ presence

Mosquitoes begin laying eggs in early spring, before periodical cicadas even emerge from underground. Their breeding sites are widespread – any puddle, pond, or pool of stagnant water allows mosquitoes to reproduce.

These optimal breeding conditions continue through summer, overlapping with cicada activity above ground. But cicadas pose little threat to disrupt this nonstop production of mosquito offspring.

Late-instar mosquito larvae can even prey on newly molted cicadas that have soft, vulnerable exoskeletons. The mosquito larvae population survives the temporary pulse of cicadas, which live above ground for only 4-6 weeks as adults.

Soon cicadas disappear back underground, while mosquitoes continue breeding through summer. The short window of cicada emergence is not enough to damage overlapping mosquito generations.

In the end, both cicadas and mosquitoes follow their natural seasonal cycles despite becoming opportunistic predators of each other. Their populations thrive independently, minimizing any small losses from predation when their lifecycles overlap.

While interesting to observe insects eating insects, cicadas do not significantly control mosquito populations.

When Cicadas Die, They Provide Nutrients Mosquitoes Can Feed On

Dead cicadas enrich the soil as they decompose

When those red-eyed bugs finally meet their demise after weeks of cacophonous mating calls, their bodies contain a multitude of nutrients essential for plant growth (1). As the hard external shells and fleshy insides of dead cicadas decompose, these nutrients are released into the soil (2).

The insect remains act as a natural fertilizer, enriching the ground that trees and other vegetation grow in.

Specifically, the decomposing cicada corpses add minerals like nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil (3). They also provide organic matter, which improves soil structure and water retention. Various bacteria and fungi break down the proteins, fats, and chitin in cicada bodies, unlocking nutrients usable by plants (4).

The enrichment of soil enables trees and plants to grow bigger and stronger.

Mosquito larvae eat microbes that break down cicada remains

As dead cicadas decompose, their nutrients get passed up the food chain. Mosquito larvae feast on the bacteria and fungi that break down cicada carcasses (5). In a process called microbial looping, nutrients cycle from the decaying insects into the microbes and then into mosquito larvae as they ingest the microbes (6).

Mosquito larvae need to feed on microbes to grow and develop properly. A massive emergence of cicadas can provide a nutrient bonanza for the fungi and bacteria mosquito larvae eat (7). More nourishment available in the microbial food web allows more mosquito larvae to mature.

So while mosquitoes don’t directly eat dead cicadas, the decomposition of periodical cicadas does sustain mosquito growth.

Research shows that major cicada emergences lead to more numerous mosquito populations. As seen in the table above, multi-year cicada events boosted mosquito numbers by over 10 million on average compared to non-emergence years (8).

More nourishment for mosquito larvae translates into larger numbers of biting adult mosquitoes.

So while cicadas and mosquitoes don’t compete for the same food sources, the decomposition of deceased periodical cicadas does sustain increased mosquito growth. Their nutrient-rich remains enrich microbial communities that mosquito larvae rely on.

Conclusion

While cicadas do not actively hunt down and eat mosquitoes, their emergence holes can occasionally trap and kill them. Overall, mosquito populations are barely affected by periodical cicadas. At most, the nutrient cycle from dead cicadas may provide marginal extra sustenance for mosquito larvae.

So while cicadas don’t purposefully eat mosquitoes, their life cycles do intersect in small ways in the natural world.