No Broods In The Burgh: Even With Cicadas Skipping Pittsburgh Other Bugs Emerging

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Walk down the wooded path of Beechview's Seldom Seen Greenway you will get the experience most people around here are getting right now.

No show cicadas.

There is good reason for that. Despite the outpouring of stories and pictures of the critters on the national news right now, the Brood X cicadas are not appearing here.

Oh, they are close by!

As close as Mercer and Somerset Counties, but not in the Pittsburgh Metro Area (unless one or two get lost.)

It is almost as if we are missing out, as the cicadas are getting a lot of attention and making a lot of noise along the east coast, to the midwest.

When they are around you know it as they sing their mating song by the millions.

"They're really kind of innocuous to us, other than the annoyance to some people, certainly they're mild," says Entomologist Dr. Chad Gore of Ehrlich Pest Control. "I think a lot of people are fascinated with cicadas because they are just an amazing natural phenomenon, and we only get to see them every, every 17 years."

This time around Brood X (pronounced 'ten') is cropping up throughout the eastern states from North Carolina to the north, as well as in Texas, Ohio, and Indiana. Central Pennsylvania is also hearing the cicada love song as well as the aforementioned Mercer and Somerset Counties.

There are some other cicadas that are off the 17-year cycle but the 17-year crowd are distinctive in their look.

"The periodical cicadas are these nice black cicadas with bright red eyes," Dr. Gore says.

In many corners of the world, the cicadas become the key ingredient of obviously rare dishes.

"Well, I can't say that I have a favorite, I mean I've tried them before and they're a little mushy. I don't know that what I would really equate it to but it maybe it's kind of nutty a little bit," Dr. Gore says.

Dr. Gore recommends if you do come across cicadas that you leave them alone, they will be gone within a month.

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What won't be gone is the assortment of other critters that have emerged, or are emerging.

"We are starting to see an uptick in bedbug calls. So that to me means that more people are traveling, and taking bedbugs, and passing them around," says Dr. Gore.

The fact that people haven't been in their normal places for more than a year is leading to something even as creepy.

"We've seen a lot of issues with American cockroaches, especially closer to the city and in the state. As a result of inactivity, from people," Dr. Gore explains.

Right now the queens of the flying stinger crowd are out there looking for places to nest.

"The Hornets tend to be pretty aggressive especially bald-faced Hornets," Dr. Gore says. "Yellow Jackets, also when disturbed, tend to be pretty aggressive."

He suggests you watch their flying pattern and try to determine where they are calling home. If it's bees nesting underground hear a walkway watch out. Just walking past could be viewed as an act of aggression and result in an attack.

Dr. Gore says if you are going to spray a nest do so only in the coolest part of the day and remember most nests have a back exit.

Also flying, "I was actually outside yesterday evening I was getting bit by a few mosquitoes."

And back with a vengeance post-pandemic, "We are certainly seeing a lot of ants and tick season never goes away."

When it comes to ants Dr. Gore says think twice about unleashing the spray.

"You might kill off the ones that you see, but it does absolutely nothing generally for the ones back in the colony. When you see trailing ants, you only see maybe 10% of what's actually there," he says.

To get the colony he says set ant traps that coat their legs with a killing agent that they take back to their nest and pass around to everyone in the colony and ending the problem.