What's that smell? Cicadas have died across Middle Tennessee. Here's how to handle it
As temperatures begin to rise in Middle Tennessee and head towards summer, some area residents might start to notice a foul smell hanging around the trees.
Murfreesboro resident Robert Cairns said he recently noticed the smell in his neighborhood.
"It made me think of that Lynyrd Skynryrd song, 'That Smell,'" Cairns said. “Hoo-hoo that smell, can’t you smell that smell? Hoo-hoo that smell, the smell of death around you.”
Cairns originally thought there might be a dead animal left near his house after a recent rainfall, he said.
"My neighbor and I checked the drainage ditch before realizing that the smell was stronger around the trees," he said, noting that they eventually traced the "smell of death" to piles of dead brood XIX cicadas accumulating under the trees and scattered across their yards.
Once cicadas have mated and the females have laid their eggs, they do not simply disappear, officials said.
Soon, homeowners and businesses across the state will be dealing with the dead bugs, just like Cairns and his Murfreesboro neighbors.
Most of the cicadas are expected to die off in June, but plenty of them will still be around to die in July, depending on when they emerged, experts say.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help people handle the aftermath of the cicada invasion:
More: Cicadas spotted in Tennessee as Brood XIX continues to come out: See full US emergence map
Throw them in a compost heap
If people are willing to take the time to clean them up, the dead bugs make fantastic food for the garden.
Amy Dunlap, an agriculture and natural resources agent with the University of Tennessee Extension, encourages all gardeners and composters to take advantage of the free fertilizer.
“Cicadas spend almost their entire life underground feeding on nutrients from tree roots, so when they die, they are returning those nutrients to the soil,” Dunlap said.
Make a cicada grave
If composting isn’t an option, there's a much simpler alternative.
“Dig a hole in the yard and bury them,” Dunlap said. “That way you can get rid of the smell while still giving nutrients back to the soil.”
Leave them alone
The most popular solution is also not a bad option, but only for those who can stomach that dead bug smell. Simply stay on the couch and do nothing.
Dunlap says that cicadas decompose relatively quickly, usually only taking a few weeks.
So, while there may not be a silver-bullet solution or magical spray, the smell won’t last long, and all of these Tennessee yards can only benefit from the free fertilizer the bugs will provide, she said.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tips and tricks for getting rid of dead cicadas in Middle Tennessee
