NParks advising East Coast Town Council on cicada management

SINGAPORE – The National Parks Board (NParks) is advising East Coast Town Council on measures to manage cicadas, the same species behind a mass emergence in Tampines Changkat.

Addressing queries on the spread of the species, NParks’ group director for wildlife management How Choon Beng on July 9 said it has engaged the town council following cicada-related feedback in the Changi-Simei area.

The area’s MP, Jessica Tan, told The Straits Times that the emergence of the orange-winged cicada in the estate has been a longstanding problem for the neighbourhood.

“It started a few years ago in terms of complaints about noise, but it wasn’t so persistent until last year when the swarms got really bad,” she said. “Residents have suggested fogging and pesticides, but we need to be careful because we don’t want to affect the plants and other animals there.”

NParks has received a rise in such feedback over the past five years, with cases increasing from about 10 in 2021 to around 25 in 2025.

Most of the feedback about cicadas, one of the noisiest animals in the world, was linked to noise and concentrated in the eastern parts of Singapore, How noted.

He said records on crowd-sourced database iNaturalist have noted the presence of the orange-winged cicada (Asianopleura fulvigera) in the eastern parts of Singapore, particularly in Tampines, Changi and Pasir Ris.

While the species is native to South-east Asia, it is possibly foreign to Singapore.

It is not clear what patterns the orange-winged cicadas here follow, although they tend to emerge annually between March and June.

NParks has visited some of these areas but has not been able to confirm clear trends, cyclical patterns or whether the large-scale emergence events are spreading.

Said How: “As the orange-winged cicada was only recently identified as the species associated with the Tampines Changkat mass emergence, the increase in reported sightings may in part reflect heightened public awareness of the species’ presence rather than an actual increase.”

Following complaints about annual swarms of the species entering homes, a task force was formed in Tampines Changkat in March.

Giving an update on July 5, the People’s Association, Tampines Town Council and NParks said in a joint statement that light traps caught an estimated 22,000 cicadas in Tampines Changkat.

This was one of the effective strategies deployed in a five-month pilot initiative to test ways to control the population of orange-winged cicadas, according to the organisations.

They said the task force will continue to use a suite of management measures to tackle the orange-winged cicadas while exploring the targeted use of pesticides for severely affected areas.

While the 2026 cicada emergence has tapered off, the task force said it will continue to prepare for subsequent emergence seasons and share its learnings with other town councils to help them address their cicada issues.

Tan told ST that East Coast Town Council has been learning from measures deployed in the neighbouring constituency of Tampines Changkat.

A spokesperson for East Coast Town Council said the 2026 emergence season in the constituency has tapered off since June, adding that the situation for Changi-Simei residents has also eased.

In the second quarter of 2026, residents there had complained that their sleep quality and daily comfort were affected, she said.

Ahead of the next emergence season early in 2027, the town council said it plans to carry out measures such as tree wrapping, which was practised in Tampines Changkat to disrupt the cicadas’ life cycle, and further misting.

How said: “NParks will continue to monitor the situation to assess whether the species is spreading and whether follow-up action is required.

“Where intervention is necessary, NParks will work with relevant stakeholders to advise on suitable measures based on the site context.”

Singapore has recorded at least 11 species of cicadas, which help to aerate the soil and act as food for larger animals.