How do cicadas damage young fruit trees when they lay eggs?

Cicadas can cause significant damage to young fruit trees and saplings during their egg-laying process. After mating, the female cicada uses her strong ovipositor to cut deeply into green twigs and harder wood, creating drilled slots to deposit her eggs.12

She typically inserts 12 to 14 eggs into two chambers separated by a thin partition of wood, continuing this process until she has laid between 400 and 600 eggs. This activity can be severe enough that branches often die beyond the point of egg insertion. While cicadas are generally not considered pests, they can pose a threat to young or vulnerable trees when present in high numbers.123