Hangzhou's cicada hunters protect trees

Cicadas are a noisy, natural part of summer as brood after brood emerges, singing loud and proud, before mating and laying hundreds of eggs.

They are harmless to humans, but can damage trees. "Cicadas are harmful for willows, cherry trees and sweet osmanthus trees," said Ruan Wangzhou, chief of the Hangzhou Greening Management Station, which is in charge of the gardens and greenery throughout Zhejiang's provincial capital.

Take cherry trees, for example. Each July and August, the juice in their buds tends to make them the favorite food and egg-laying places for cicadas. The insects slash the buds to lay their eggs, which can cause the trees to wither.