Cicadas primarily consume plant sap rather than solid food, using specialized mouthparts to suck fluids from trees and roots. This liquid diet sustains both their nymph and adult stages without causing significant harm to plants through feeding alone.

Cicada Diet Basics

Nymphs, which live underground for years, feed on xylem sap from tree roots like oak, maple, willow, ash, and cypress. Adults emerge to drink similar sap from twigs and branches of woody plants.

Unlike pests that chew leaves, cicadas lack biting mouthparts—they rely on a straw-like proboscis for slurping nutrients, minerals, and amino acids.

This high-volume intake leads to dramatic "jet propulsion" excretion, with urine streams reaching 3 meters per second, a record among animals.

Nymph vs. Adult Feeding

  • Nymphs : Buried 1-8 feet deep, they tap root xylem; young nymphs may start on grasses.
  • Adults : Short-lived (4-6 weeks), they target tender twigs on trees/shrubs; no chewing means gardens, flowers, and veggies are safe.

Life Stage| Primary Food Source| Example Plants| Feeding Impact
---|---|---|---
Nymph| Root xylem sap| Oak, maple, pine roots 17| Minimal; nourishes via gut bacteria 3
Adult| Twig/branch sap| Willow, ash, any large woody plant 57| Low; egg-laying slits cause more damage 7

Myths and Realities

Myth : Cicadas devour crops or leaves. Reality : They can't—they're sap specialists, not chewers. Your tomatoes and marigolds are untouched.

Forum chatter echoes this: Gardeners in Maryland worry about shrubs during emergences, but feeding isn't the issue—egg slits are. One user noted cicadas on wilting coleus, likely sap-sucking.

Damage? Negligible from eating; females' egg-laying nicks bark, stressing young trees (cover them if needed).

Broader Context

Cicadas' xylem diet, aided by symbiotic bacteria, lets them thrive on nutrient-poor fluid—think of it as nature's IV drip.

In 2024's dual broods (XIII/XIX), experts reassured: No veggie apocalypse, just noisy sap-sippers. As of early 2026, no major emergences shift this; they're periodic marvels, not garden foes.

Fun fact: Opportunistic, they'll hit any big plant nearby, from redwoods to backyard firs per user stories.

TL;DR : Cicadas drink tree sap (xylem)—nymphs from roots, adults from twigs. Harmless eaters; real worry is egg-laying on saplings.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.