Do Cicadas Eat or Damage Crops?
Cicadas do not eat crops in the way chewing insects do, so a sudden emergence does not mean your vegetables are on the menu. The main concern is not leaf feeding, but egg laying in twigs and small branches, which can stress young trees, vines, and orchard stock. If you are seeing damage and wondering what cicadas eat, the short answer is that adults feed lightly on plant fluids, while the immature stages live underground on root juices.
What Cicadas Eat and Drink
Adult cicadas feed on plant fluids, not leaves or fruit
Adult cicadas use a strawlike mouthpart to tap xylem, the water carrying tissue inside plants. That means they drink dilute sap and plant fluids, not solid plant parts. They do not chew leaves, bite holes in fruit, or strip crops the way caterpillars, beetles, or grasshoppers do. If you are asking what cicadas like to eat, the answer is simple, they prefer the liquid inside stems, branches, and roots.
Nymphs feed underground on root fluids
The immature cicada, called a nymph, lives in the soil and feeds on root xylem. It spends years underground attached to roots of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants. This feeding does not drain fields the way a pest outbreak can, because nymphs feed one insect at a time over a long period. Their diet is narrow and tied to plants with roots they can reach, not to ripened produce in the garden.
What cicadas eat above ground
Above ground, adults feed on sap from small branches, trunks, and tender stems. They do not browse like a deer or graze like a beetle larva. When people ask what do cicadas eat above ground, the best answer is plant sap from woody tissue, plus water in the plant’s xylem. They also drink rainwater droplets and any moisture they can access on leaves and bark.
Do Cicadas Eat Crops, Leaves, or Plants
They do not eat field crops in the usual sense
Do cicadas eat crops? Not as a primary food source. Corn, beans, lettuce, squash, and most garden vegetables are not what cicadas target for feeding. They are not chewing the crop itself, and they do not mass feed on harvestable produce. In a garden, their damage comes from the egg-laying behavior of females, not from adults eating the plants for food.
They do not chew leaves or tree leaves
Do cicadas eat leaves or do cicadas eat tree leaves? No. Cicadas pierce and sip fluids, so leaves remain intact unless there is unrelated damage. If you see ragged leaves, holes, or skeletonized foliage, another insect is responsible. Cicadas can land on leaves, rest on them, and move across them, but that is not feeding on the leaf tissue.
Do cicadas eat plants at all?
They feed on parts of living plants by drinking sap, so in a broad sense they do feed from plants. But they do not consume plant tissue the way a chewing pest does. That distinction matters for gardeners, because the visible crop injury comes from egg laying in young woody growth, not from the adult insect eating beans, tomatoes, or lettuce.
How Cicadas Eat and Why Their Mouthparts Matter
They use piercing mouthparts to sip liquid
How do cicadas eat? They insert a needlelike beak into the plant and draw out xylem fluid. This liquid is low in nutrients, so cicadas must drink a lot of it to meet their needs. Their mouthparts are built for piercing and suction, not chewing or crushing. That is why you do not see bitten edges on crops from cicadas.
What cicadas eat and drink
What do cicadas eat and drink? They drink plant sap and water from living plants. Adults rely on aboveground stems and branches, while nymphs rely on roots. They do not need seeds, pollen, nectar, or fruit flesh. They also do not hunt insects or scavenge food scraps. Their feeding style is specialized and tied to plant fluids only.
What Damage Cicadas Actually Cause in Gardens and Orchards
Egg laying can weaken twigs and young trees
The main garden problem is the female cicada’s egg-laying slit. She cuts small branches and lays eggs in the wood, which can cause flagging, browning, and breakage in thin twigs. Young trees, newly planted ornamentals, grapevines, and saplings take the hardest hit. Mature trees recover far better because their branches are thicker and stronger.
Why established crops are less affected
Field crops and herbaceous vegetables are not the main target because cicadas need woody tissue for feeding and egg laying. A mature tomato or pepper plant can look startling when cicadas land on it, but that is not the same as crop loss. The risk rises with small woody plants, orchard trees, and nursery stock that has tender, pencil-thin growth.
Where to focus protection
Protect trees and vines with the thinnest branches first. The goal is to stop egg laying on new growth, not to chase cicadas off every plant in the yard. Young fruit trees, recently transplanted shrubs, and nursery plantings need the most attention during an emergence period.
- Cover young trees, vines, and saplings with fine mesh netting before adults arrive.
- Secure the netting to the trunk so cicadas cannot crawl underneath.
- Use stakes or a frame to keep the mesh off leaves and branch tips.
- Leave the cover in place through the peak egg-laying window.
- Remove it after adult activity drops and new growth hardens.
What Animals Eat Cicadas
Birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects all feed on them
What animals eat cicadas? Many predators do. Birds are the biggest visible hunters, including starlings, robins, grackles, crows, and jays. Small mammals, bats, reptiles, and amphibians also eat them. Insect predators such as mantises, robber flies, spiders, and wasps take cicadas too, especially the weaker or newly emerged adults.
Predators use cicadas as a seasonal food source
Cicadas appear in large numbers, and that makes them a temporary feast for wildlife. Their emergence supports birds and other insect-eaters during a short window when food is abundant. This is one reason cicadas matter in the ecosystem, they move energy from trees and roots into the food web for animals above ground.
Behavior, Life Cycle, and Where They Fit in Nature
Why cicadas are so noisy
Male cicadas sing by vibrating special body parts to attract females and compete with other males. The sound is part of mating behavior, not feeding. Their activity rises in warm weather, and they spend the daytime on trunks, branches, and leaves while calling loudly from the canopy.
Life cycle and habitat
Cicadas begin as eggs laid in slits in branches. Nymphs hatch, drop to the soil, and burrow underground to feed on roots for years. When they emerge, they climb up a tree, molt into winged adults, and live above ground for a short reproductive period. Their habitat is tied to trees, shrubs, orchards, woodlots, and landscaped areas with enough woody plants to support them.
Migration, senses, and ecology
Cicadas do not migrate like monarch butterflies. Their movement is local, driven by emergence, mating, and finding suitable trees. They sense vibration, sound, and light, which helps them locate mates and avoid danger. Ecologically, they prune young twigs, feed wildlife, and return nutrients to the soil when they die.
Natural Ways to Reduce Cicada Stress Around Plants
Use exclusion, not sprays
For gardeners and homeowners, the cleanest response is physical exclusion. Fine mesh netting over young trees and grapevines blocks egg laying without harming pollinators or beneficial insects. Keep the mesh tight and sealed at the trunk. This is far more effective than spraying oils or dusts on cicadas, because adult cicadas are not a chewing pest and do not respond well to surface treatments.
Planting choices that help
Companion planting does not stop cicadas from flying in, but mixed plantings reduce the impact on any one tender tree or vine. Place vulnerable saplings near sturdier plants, avoid excessive nitrogen that produces soft new growth, and keep trees watered so they are less stressed. Strong, well-rooted woody plants handle egg-laying damage better than drought-stressed ones.
When diatomaceous earth and essential oils do not help
Diatomaceous earth is not useful against cicadas on trees because it works best on crawling insects moving through dry dust. Essential oils are also a poor fit for a flying, sap-feeding insect on outdoor woody plants. Save those tools for other household or garden pests where contact and residue control matter more. For cicadas, exclusion and plant care solve the real problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do cicadas eat at all?
Yes. They feed on plant fluids. Adults drink xylem sap above ground, and nymphs feed on root fluids underground. They do not chew leaves, fruit, or stems.
What do cicadas eat in New Zealand?
Cicadas in New Zealand feed the same way as other cicadas, by drinking plant sap from woody plants and roots. The details vary by species, but the basic diet does not change.
Can cicadas eat my vegetables?
No. They do not target vegetables as food. If vegetables are damaged, look for another pest. Cicadas are a concern for young trees, vines, and woody ornamentals.
Do cicadas eat tree leaves?
No. They pierce plant tissue and drink fluids. Leaves stay intact unless damaged by something else.
What eats cicadas?
Birds, bats, spiders, mantises, robber flies, wasps, reptiles, amphibians, and some mammals eat cicadas. Their emergence becomes a major food event for wildlife.