As 2024 Illinois cicada emergence comes to end, here's what to do with netting, dead bugs

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Monday, June 24, 2024
What to do with netting, dead bugs as cicada emergence ends in IL
What to do with netting, dead bugs as cicada emergence ends in ILHow long do cicadas last? As the 2024 Illinois cicada emergence comes to an end, here's what to do with leftover tree netting and the dead bugs.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The cicada invasion is coming to an end in Illinois.

Now, residents just have to deal with the dead bugs and tree netting.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Spencer Campbell with the Morton Arboretum joined ABC7 Chicago Monday to talk about what to do.

Instead of discarding cicada carcasses and exoskeletons in the garbage or landscape waste, the arboretum suggests scattering them on lawns or garden beds as fertilizer.

SEE ALSO: A strange fungus could transform emerging cicadas into 'saltshakers of death,' scientists say

Cicadas can also be added to a compost pile, but not alone. Mix them with green plant material, such as weeds or lawn clippings, as well as dried leaves or other brown material, the arboretum said.

Once the cicadas are gone, netting should be removed from trees and shrubs because it can block sunlight.

For more information, visit mortonarb.org/cicadas2024.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.