Would this work?

[Mr. Dictator]

Ok, two ideas that I threw around for a while yesterday while thinking of long-term pranks.

1. On a cicada season, could one capture about two dozen of them, freeze them for a few years, and then release them in a friend's car to scare them; even though you told them during the brood that you were going to do this and they won't expect it?

2. How many, for say a 17 year brood, would one need to catch and freeze to release in another year and create a starting population for a second brood?

End-goal: An annual cicada swarm that pranks my region until the end of time.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

There's no tissue damage from freezing them that long?

 

[Mr. Dictator]

There's no tissue damage from freezing them that long?

This was what I was wondering. I doubt there's a cicadologist here, but my completely uninformed opinion is that it'd probably be best to not freeze them very long.

 

[mayor]

first reaction: What is a cicade?

/googles -> sees picture

second reaction: Still, no idea what that is

/checks wikipedia

third reaction: really? no still no idea

/checks Dutch wikipedia

forth reactoin: doesn't ring a bell but that is a cool gif

Spoiler :

Apparently there is a state in which they don't have wings. If you freeze them in that state you circumvent the tissue issue D)

 

[BvBPL]

You fool!

If you freeze the cicadas then you'll kill the weak ones and leave only the strong to survive. These strong ones will breed and their children will end up being super-cicadas. Cicadas that will one day rule the world!

In any case, there are plenty of cicadas with faster cycles than seventeen years. So it should be easier than simply freezing them.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

You fool!

If you freeze the cicadas then you'll kill the weak ones and leave only the strong to survive. These strong ones will breed and their children will end up being super-cicadas. Cicadas that will one day rule the world!

In any case, there are plenty of cicadas with faster cycles than seventeen years. So it should be easier than simply freezing them.

Oh no, forget that you just thought of that!

Yes, there are others with faster cycles, but in this region there's only one brood of the really good ones that deafen everyone.