Calamity Kris Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 There is a 25 ft. tall cypress tree right outside the front door of the house. Within the last week is has become inhabited by a creature that sounds much like a cricket only much deeper and 10 times as loud. It has decided "singing" through the night is a good idea and is actually keeping the neighbors up, besides ourselves. I have yet to see it but we can certainly hear it. I have heard cicada's and this isn't one of them. Any ideas on ridding us of that nusence, short of chopping the tree down? I have a lot of flowers in that area so spraying lots of chemicals isn't a great idea either. Thanks,
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Generally you're more apt to be exposed to the racket of annual cicadas but there is more than one genera and several species of course. I'm wondering if you aren't hearing males of the emerging 17-year periodical cicada which are much louder. Check the noise. More
Sedalia Dave Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Could be a love sick tree frog looking for a mate.
Black Angus McPherson Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 1st guess: Cicada But since you say it ain't... 2nd guess: Tree Frog Welcome to Missouri. :-) Angus p.s. If you start hearing thousands of them in the next few weeks I'm going back to my first guess.
Black Angus McPherson Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Sorry, almost forgot. I've got no idea on how to get rid of them. Hope that helps. :-D Angus
Jackson Rose, SASS #45478 Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Tree frogs need insects to eat. Use a can of wasp spray, the kind that shoots 20 feet. Make sure you stand up wind and spray the tree. Will kill most insects, so if it is a bug causing the noise you are good. If it is a tree frog, it will find another tree to live in.
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Whatever it is, with a mouth like that, its gotta be from Texas..... Ya probably can't kill it and you sure don't want to make it mad. ..........Widder
Ace_of_Hearts Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 If they are cicadas, you will find their skeletons attached to the trunk of the tree. The grub crawl out of the ground after living on the roots of plants for many years and attach themselves to the trunk of the tree. The skeleton splits at the back and a flying insect emerges that begins its love call (if male) soon thereafter. The females drill a hole in the branch of a tree and deposit their eggs (killing the branch ). The young hatch and fall to the ground to start the cycle again. In short...... No skeletons....... No Cicadas.....
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Cicada don't hurt you, and neither do tree frogs. If they actually disrupt your sleep, try earplugs or white noise or soft music. Keep the poisons in the can. LL
Cypress Sun Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Cicada don't hurt you, and neither do tree frogs. If they actually disrupt your sleep, try earplugs or white noise or soft music. Keep the poisons in the can. LL Got my vote. If there is a Cypress tree there.....you're living on what was most likely swampy ground. Just sayin.
J-BAR #18287 Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Do cicadas "buzz" at night? (Honest ignorance showing here.) Grampa used to call them "Jar Flies" and I associate them with a lazy summer day, but not at night. I'm thinking tree frog(s). If he breaks into, "Hello My Honey," you might try show biz:
Tom Bullweed Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Cicadas is my guess. The best low impact defense is bats. You can put up a few bat housess now. Waiting much longer will be ineffective for this year.
Blastmaster Posted May 2, 2016 Posted May 2, 2016 Live fire practice w/o ear plugs or muffs. That'll fix it.
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 Too early for cicadas. Frogs more likely. Either way theres probably little you can do about it except get ready for the noise. So far as the expected Periodical cicada emergence they are already being reported farther north. Stands to reason there has been some emergence in Missouri. If our poster will compare the sounds from clips posted above maybe we can arrive at a starting point.
Calamity Kris Posted May 3, 2016 Author Posted May 3, 2016 1st guess: Cicada But since you say it ain't... 2nd guess: Tree Frog Welcome to Missouri. :-) Angus p.s. If you start hearing thousands of them in the next few weeks I'm going back to my first guess. We must be neighbors. I'm right down the road from you........... Either way theres probably little you can do about it except get ready for the noise. So far as the expected Periodical cicada emergence they are already being reported farther north. Stands to reason there has been some emergence in Missouri. If our poster will compare the sounds from clips posted above maybe we can arrive at a starting point. Thanks Sam. I listened to all the sounds you posted above. All of them are too high a pitch to be the critter. The "cycle" of the sound is similar to the cicada but a much deeper tone. I will see if I can record the sound somehow. I've never heard anything like it. I'm not inclined to kill it as it is merely annoying. If it continues for some time, I would like to encourage it to take up residence elsewhere.
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 We must be neighbors. I'm right down the road from you........... Thanks Sam. I listened to all the sounds you posted above. All of them are too high a pitch to be the critter. The "cycle" of the sound is similar to the cicada but a much deeper tone. I will see if I can record the sound somehow. I've never heard anything like it. I'm not inclined to kill it as it is merely annoying. If it continues for some time, I would like to encourage it to take up residence elsewhere. There are different calls and they are species dependent. If the cadence/cycle is similar to the clip then it gives weight to the insect hypothesis.
Grizzly Dave Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 I know, circle the tree with 10 or twelve folks each armed with shotguns loaded with black powder blanks and fire them all at the same time up into the tree. May not gid rid of the bugs, but they might be gone by the time you get out of jail.
Cat Brules Posted May 4, 2016 Posted May 4, 2016 If they are that annoying, they're likely cicadas. They dig a burrow, lay eggs, and they have a seventeen (17) year gestation period. Then the come out in droves and drive you nuts with the noise. They are harmless.
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted May 4, 2016 Posted May 4, 2016 If they are that annoying, they're likely cicadas. They dig a burrow, lay eggs, and they have a seventeen (17) year gestation period. Then the come out in droves and drive you nuts with the noise. They are harmless. The females of periodical cicadas lay eggs within slits in the bark of trees. Upon hatching the nymphs fall to the ground,bury in, and require 13 to 17 years to develop to the adult stage. Gestation isnt an applicable term here.
Black Angus McPherson Posted May 4, 2016 Posted May 4, 2016 We must be neighbors. I'm right down the road from you........... Yep, not too far I'm thinking. And Jackson Rose is just a bit further down the road from me. I pass Lambert Field everyday on my way to and from work. I've been hoping to catch sight of you and Uno at a local match so I could say "Howdy". Have you made it to any of the local clubs since you got to town? If you're still looking for a local club I could help point you to one or two. Angus
Doc Neugi Posted May 5, 2016 Posted May 5, 2016 If you can't handle bugs, move north, very far north! lol
Calamity Kris Posted May 5, 2016 Author Posted May 5, 2016 Yep, not too far I'm thinking. And Jackson Rose is just a bit further down the road from me. I pass Lambert Field everyday on my way to and from work. I've been hoping to catch sight of you and Uno at a local match so I could say "Howdy". Have you made it to any of the local clubs since you got to town? If you're still looking for a local club I could help point you to one or two. Angus No we haven't made it to any matches as of yet. Uno usually works on the weekends so he's not available. I'll check the schedules of a couple of clubs and see if he can get the time off. Would love to meet you and Jackson Rose, if nothing else, for coffee or Sugarfire. We're not far from there........
Calamity Kris Posted May 5, 2016 Author Posted May 5, 2016 There are different calls and they are species dependent. If the cadence/cycle is similar to the clip then it gives weight to the insect hypothesis. It has been blissfully quiet for the last couple of days. I appreciate the sleep while I have it.
Calamity Kris Posted May 7, 2016 Author Posted May 7, 2016 I chatted with a couple or neighbors this evening. They said my critter is some kind of tree frog. They all agreed it had to be pretty loud in the house if they could hear it at their houses. They said the best way to encourage it to leave is to get rid of the fountain the previous owner left in the front yard. Guess what I'm doing this weekend...... Thanks for all your advice. We'll see how it goes.
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted May 7, 2016 Posted May 7, 2016 Must've been one bodacious frog! We're still waiting on our 17 year hatch to come up. Info I've seen lately says they won't emerge until the ground temp reaches 65 degrees. Am expecting a lot of noise when they do. Our local turkey flock will be very happy when they do
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted May 7, 2016 Posted May 7, 2016 Speaking of bodacious frogs, "ours" is named Boris. S/he disappears in the winter and turns up every spring. Hubby saw her/him last week. S/he is big. Not Jumping Frog big; but big. S/he looks something like this only larger and fatter. The cat brings in smaller frogs; but Hubby saw her walk right by Boris.
Calamity Kris Posted May 7, 2016 Author Posted May 7, 2016 Got the fountain drained and cleaned out. Went in for a break and the National Weather Service alert sounded. Severe Thunder storm warning. I ran into the garage an grabbed a tarp and draped it over the newly emptied fountain. The tarp will stay in place until our friend has the chance to take the fountain away. He wants one, we don't. It's a win-win. That's quite some frog, Allie.
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted May 8, 2016 Posted May 8, 2016 Boris could be a type of toad, Miz Allie. Toads have glands in their skin that produce a very untasty liquid. i had a dachsy that grabbed one when I was still a kid, really made him foam at the mouth for a while, and he never bothered one again.
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted May 8, 2016 Posted May 8, 2016 After reading the following, I think Boris is a frog. S/he lived under the dog's outside water dish until Hubby propped up a stepping stone under the drain from the eaves. Now, s/he spends the days there. Boris has been seen floating in the dog dish after dark.
Trailrider #896 Posted May 8, 2016 Posted May 8, 2016 If you've ever read Robert Heinlein's scifi book "Tunnel In The Sky" these are probably the "stobor" Rod Walker heard the first night during his survival class final exam on the planet Tangaroa!
J-BAR #18287 Posted May 9, 2016 Posted May 9, 2016 If you've ever read Robert Heinlein's scifi book "Tunnel In The Sky" these are probably the "stobor" Rod Walker heard the first night during his survival class final exam on the planet Tangaroa! By any chance do you have a knife named Col. Bowie or maybe Lady MacBeth?
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