Bug FAQFloury Baker
Aleeta curvicosta · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Cicadidae
Also called: Floury Miller
It lives on many trees, especially paperbark, emerges from the soil between late November and February and can be seen until May. It is solitary, occurs in low densities and is preyed upon by cicada-killer wasps and birds.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its body and eyes are brown with a pale line down the middle of the pronotum.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 2.9 cm long, forewings 3 to 5.1 cm, wingspan 9 to 10 cm and weigh around 1 g. Size varies noticeably between regions depending on local rainfall.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It occurs in low densities and is not commonly found inside homes.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Cicada-killer wasps (Exeirus lateritius) sting and paralyse floury bakers, then store them in underground burrows for their larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Natural predators such as cicada-killer wasps and birds keep its numbers low.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Emergence occurs from late November through February, with individuals still present until May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to the continent’s eastern coastline.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is distinguished from the similar “little floury baker” by differences in male genitalia and a distinct call. Members of Aleeta lack tymbal covers and have forewings whose costal margin widens toward the attachment point.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I expect to see floury bakers?
Adults emerge from the soil between late November and late February and may still be seen until May.
Source: Wikipedia
What predators attack the floury baker?
Cicada-killer wasps sting and paralyse them, and many birds also prey on these cicadas.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell the floury baker apart from similar cicadas?
It has a pale line on the pronotum, dark patches on the forewings, and a unique call that differs from the little floury baker.
Source: Wikipedia
Is the floury baker a pest for my garden or home?
It occurs in low densities, lives on trees, and is not noted as damaging plants, homes, or stored goods.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cicadidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleeta
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.