WVXU: Cicadas mean good news for gardens
UC adjunct professor Joshua Jones talks about 17-year cicadas
The emergence of 17-year cicadas this year could be good for your garden, according to a University of Cincinnati gardener.
Cicadas in Brood X are expected to emerge in the billions across most of the United States.
UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning adjunct professor Joshua Jones talked to WVXU’s Cincinnati Edition about how gardeners could put the pesky insects to good use. He works as director of greenhouse operations for Waterfields.
“If you put these cicada shells, which will be in extreme abundance, into your compost or turn them into your soil, it’s a wonderful food for beneficial bacteria and fungus,” Jones told Cincinnati Edition host Michael Monks. “It’s a really good year to inject some life into your soil.”
For people who are more adventurous, cicadas can make an unexpected appetizer, Jones said.
“I have actually eaten many cicadas. Their shell is made out of chitin. It’s fully digestible to us. It’s pretty nutritious,” he told WVXU.
Featured image at top: Cicadas from Brood X are set to emerge this spring. Photo/USDA
Related Stories
Adding ketamine to fentanyl fails to reduce pain in trauma
July 9, 2024
Medscape highlighted research led by the University of Cincinnati's Jason McMullan that found adding intranasal ketamine to fentanyl does not improve pain scores in patients with out-of-hospital trauma injuries.
How stress can mask the symptoms of chronic disease
July 9, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Charles Hattemer spoke with the New York Times about how stress can trigger chronic diseases.
UC grad launches lifesaving climbing tech
July 8, 2024
Michael Ragsdale started fall safety company Bailout Systems to keep rock climbers, firefighters and military members safe as they go about risky tasks. With the help of the University of Cincinnati's Venture Lab, he's been able to grow his startup.