<\/p>\nkick off in Tampines Changkat<\/p>\n
<\/a> from March to deal with swarms of the insects entering homes there.<\/p>\n
The constituency\u2019s office said in a statement on Feb 26 that the five-month-long initiative would trial novel and safe strategies to deal with the cicadas, which seasonally emerge in swarms to the dismay of many residents there.<\/p>\n
The solutions include placing mats to cover soil near the trees and wrapping tree trunks with foil to disrupt the life cycle of the cicadas, the constituency said.<\/p>\n
No further details on the measures were provided, although a town hall event on the issue will be held in the constituency on March 1.<\/p>\n
Cicadas, known to be one of the world\u2019s loudest insects, usually live in areas with mature trees, feeding on their sap.<\/p>\n
In recent years, they have been making an unusual appearance in urban Tampines Changkat, with residents reporting the growing presence of cicadas in and near their homes since 2022. <\/p>\n
Residents say the cicadas typically emerge in swarms during the hotter months from March in noisy groups of about 10, with their population eventually declining after three to four months. Cicadas often emerge in groups from the ground at the same time, unleashing a cacophony as the males sing to attract their mates.<\/p>\n
When night falls during those months, residents said the insects \u2013 roughly the size of two 50 cent coins \u2013 would buzz around the lights, darting to and fro in common spaces and flats.<\/p>\n
When The Straits Times visited Blocks 321 and 322 of Tampines Street 33, where the previous cicada swarms were reported, on Feb 25, the faint calls of the bugs could be heard, but they remained unseen.<\/p>\n
Nine out of the 10 households interviewed said they have noticed the insects\u2019 presence since 2022, and that their numbers seem to go up every year.<\/p>\n
Most of them also felt the population needed to be controlled, as the noise, as well as the large swarms of insects in the corridors and their homes, have disrupted their daily routines.<\/p>\n\n\nThe faint calls of cicadas could be heard when the Straits Times visited Blocks 321 (pictured) and 322 of Tampines Street 33, but the bugs remained unseen.<\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Resident Carlos Kennerley, 58, said: \u201cYou would hear people screaming inside the lifts because the cicadas were getting inside the lift.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no reprieve at all… They were all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n
The operations manager, who has lived in his sixth-floor flat for more than two decades, recalled how the cicadas would repeatedly fly and bang against the windows and doors, making it impossible for his family to leave them open during months the insects were active.<\/p>\n
The incessant buzzing from the cicadas has prompted Mr Kennerley to shift the gongfu class that he teaches to a nearby event hall.<\/p>\n\n\nOperations manager Carlos Kennerley, 58, recalled how cicadas would repeatedly bang against the windows of his flat.<\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Similarly, Madam Yu, a fifth-floor resident who declined to give her first name, told ST in Mandarin that she was \u201cfrightened to death\u201d as she dodged groups of up to seven to eight cicadas flying along the corridor at night.<\/p>\n
The accountant said: \u201c(My family and I) would be too scared to enter our home, because the floor would be covered with cicadas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents said that in previous years, the Tampines Town Council had put up posters saying that cicadas are not considered pests.<\/p>\n\n\nCicadas are not identified as pests, according to posters put up by Tampines Town Council in 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: ST READER<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
But it moved to act on the matter in May 2025.<\/p>\n
Residents said they observed a dip in numbers after the town council implemented a slew of measures, which included removing trees with higher cicada activity and using National Environment Agency-approved insecticides.<\/p>\n
In May 2025, Chinese-language media outlet Lianhe Zaobao reported that workers employed by the town council caught more than 50 cicadas in about an hour.<\/p>\n
It remains to be seen whether the removal of these trees will limit cicada numbers in 2026 during the months when the insects are the most active, the residents said.<\/p>\n\n\nIn May 2025, Lianhe Zaobao reported that workers caught more than 50 cicadas in about an hour.<\/p>\n
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The upcoming initiative in Tampines Changkat will be led by the area\u2019s MP, Mr Desmond Choo, in collaboration with grassroots organisations and the Tampines Town Council.<\/p>\n
The effort is also supported by the National Parks Board and the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum\u2019s insect curator Foo Maosheng.<\/p>\n
Mr Choo said in the statement: \u201cTampines Changkat hopes that this comprehensive cicada management effort will serve as a useful pilot for cicada management, which can provide valuable operational and educational lessons for other areas in Singapore facing similar challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n