ELKHORN, Wis.– After game wardens found people harvesting cicada insects in Beach Foot State Park, the state Natural Resources Department issued a warning: Don’t. The agency said that cicada are a nutritious food source for birds, mammals and reptiles. Removing them is a violation of Wiscosin law. Cicadas, especially the meaty females, are valued in human nutrition in much of the world and parts of the United States.
Cicadas. One to two inches long with wide-spaced bulbus eyes. Creepy, some say. Major infestationa occur in17-year cycles in North America but are short-lived and inconsequential, except for annoying and deafening mating calls. This was a 17th year.