We talk a lot abouteating insectsbut not so much about insects eating . However , a Modern cogitation is set to change that as it pose to seam an enduring mystery surrounding cicada ’s dietetical substance abuse . “ Do grownup cicala eat ? ” is the question at the center of the long - standing scientific disputation – and , as it turns out , they do .
“ This inquiry has been the subject of considerable historical debate , and , despite a sometimes - ambiguous scientific consensus to the opposite , it remain widely held among the general public thatMagicicadado not course as grownup , ” the study authors compose in their paper .
Thanks to their inquiry , this view has been proven to be a misconception : grownup cicada do in fact enjoy a bite to eat on during their abbreviated time above earth , nibbling on various plant life ’ sap – and frankly , good for them .
cicala are curious critters . They spend the immense majority of their lifecycle underground as houri , emerging as adults for just a few weeks to get their procreation on before unceremoniously dying . Those in the North American genusMagicicadaspend either 13 or17 yearsin their subterranean surroundings , living off the sugary saphead from tree etymon .
Their emergence , in their billions , is quite a spectacle , but can baffle a scourge to US factory farm due to their ability to damage orchard trees . To well empathize them , and address the conundrum of their eating habits , researchers from the USDA ’s Agricultural Research Service ( ARS ) turn toBrood X , a group ofMagicicadathat collectively emerged in 2021 in Maryland , Virginia , and West Virginia .
In a dietary analysis of nymphs , adults , and freshly emerged ( teneral ) adult from Brood X , the team get plant DNA in the guts of nymph and adult , which was notably overlook in the teneral adults .
" We screen teneral adult , or brand new adultMagicicadathat had not had a fortune to feed yet , to check for any leftover plant deoxyribonucleic acid , " said USDA - ARS research team drawing card James Hepler in astatement . " We could n’t find any works deoxyribonucleic acid in the intestine of teneral grownup , so we can be reasonably trusted that the DNA discover in fledged adultMagicicadawas eaten during the grownup stage , since no DNA hold over from the houri microscope stage . "
This , the team say , is enough to confirm that adult cicadasdoget snacky during their short time above ground , taking a break from madly procreate to crunch on some sap .
Their nosh of pick ? Sap from woody plants and apple Tree – the analysis regain that DNA from these plants was the most prevalent in the guts of adultMagicicada . But more than half of those tested appeared to eat up multiple works species .
So , adult cicadas like to wipe out – mystery work out – but , think back , if you have a seafood allergy , don’t be tempt to feed them .
The study is published in theJournal of Insect Science .
