Brood X Cicadas Mating & Making Egg Nests
Watch this video to see Brood X cicadas mating and two females laying eggs in the slits they created in the branches of a red maple tree and an abelia shrub.
mating
Brood X Cicadas Mating and Creating their Egg Nests
After mating, a female cicada finds tender twigs or branches (usually the size of a pencil) in which to lay her eggs. As many cicadas flew to trees like oaks, maples, cherries, redbuds, and dogwoods to find suitable twigs, this female chose a branch on an Abelia bush about five feet off the ground.