The only thing that cicada's can do during their "breeding process" is break a few long canes if the insects choose to aggregate in large numbers. Their shear weight would do the damage. The usual damage to trees is the slicing of the bark and twigs during the oviposition process (the female slices a notch into the wood and lays the egg(s) into the slice), and this is usually secondary damage when the wind breaks twigs and thin branches at the egg insertion sites. Since oviposition is done on woody plants, and primarily trees, your orchids and other non-woody tropicals have nothing to fear in this regard. During a normal emergence the loss of a few twigs and branches is little more than some natural pruning, and provides little more than a little and temporary aesthetic displeasure from homeowners and arborists who bother cleanup the mess.
Paul J. Johnson, Ph.D. Professor of Entomology
Insect Research Collection Box 2207A, South Dakota State University Brookings, SD 57007-0001 tel: 605.688.4438; fax: 605.688.4602
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