When periodical cicadas emerge, they’re consumed by just about anything that eats insects. Mammals and birds, amphibians and reptiles, and fish all eat cicadas — and benefit from the glut of them.

For wildlife, he said, cicadas are a bonus food source. “They’re packed with protein and fat. They’re really a good food ...

Songbirds are too small to eat them, but in the birds and animals that are large enough to eat cicadas, Skvarla said, “there are much higher success rates for raising offspring, for surviving ...

Johnson warns against using insecticides to try to keep cicadas away from plants, because they aren't effective, and animals that eat cicadas could be harmed by the chemicals. Humans can also eat ...