They might not kill the trees but it looks like they do a bit of damage to them, at the least.
Another option would be to set a bunch of copperhead snakes lose in the area. Seriously, they love cicadas, at least the emerging young ones...they hunt for them at night and gobble them from the trees.
I don't know where you're located
@invisibleflash , but if you're in an area that copperheads frequent I would be aware of their appetite for cicadas...especially while walking around at night in the dark among the trees. I don't think you'll have a plague of copperheads due to the cicadas, but it *is* something to be aware of.
Check some of these links out...
https://www.google.com/search?...
