Cicadas are back

Posted 3/25/21

EASTERN U.S. — They’re coming. And by the billions. After 17 years submerged in darkness throughout eastern United States soil, the largest batch of periodical cicadas—known as …

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Cicadas are back

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EASTERN U.S. — They’re coming. And by the billions. After 17 years submerged in darkness throughout eastern United States soil, the largest batch of periodical cicadas—known as Brood X or the Great Eastern Brood—will emerge from the ground, shed their exoskeleton, mate, lay eggs and die. They’ll make an awful lot of noise along the way, too.

Unlike other cicadas, periodical cicadas have life cycles of either 13 or 17 years, the vast majority of which is spent underground. When they come up to mate and repeat the cycle, which Brood X is scheduled to do this spring, these bugs are characterized by sheer volume. Volume in two senses of the word: the fact that there are billions of them arriving all at once and the deafening song male cicadas sing to attract females, culminating in a raucous chorus of buzzing.

New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians are both waiting for the arrival of Brood X, while also awaiting the arrival of the invasive spotted lanternfly, a pest posing threats to both states’ economies and plant life. 

Fast facts about cicadas 

• They are not locusts! Biblical scholars can breathe easy. Despite the common misconception that cicadas and locusts are the same insect, locusts are a type of grasshopper.

• There are seven species of periodical cicadas. Four of them have 13-year life spans, and the other three have 17-year life spans.

• They’re survivalists. Life spans of 13 and 17 years may seem like random timeframes, but etymologists expect there’s a reason behind it. One theory is that because 13 and 17 are both prime numbers, the periodical cicadas’ abnormal life cycles won’t synchronize with that of their predators.

• A cicada STI is running rampant. Researchers have found that, through mating, cicadas are infecting one another with a parasitic fungus called Massospora. Once infected, the fungus eats away at the cicada, replacing its body parts with fungal spores. The most bizarre part of all is that chemicals found in the fungus are the same found in psychedelic mushrooms. Researchers believe that Massospora takes over the cicadas’ minds, forcing the bugs to continue mating despite having lost a third of their bodies, and thus spreading the fungus to more victims.

• They’re attracted to noise. Power tools and lawn maintenance equipment can make noises similar to those made by cicadas. So, if you’re mowing your lawn this spring, some confused cicadas may land on you. The website Cicada Mania suggests you “cut your lawn in the early morning or near dusk when the cicadas are less active.”

• The males are loud. The male cicadas sing the infamously loud mating calls to attract prospective female partners. According to the Chicago Academy of Sciences Nature Museum, “Cicadas have a special organ called a tymbal that produces sound. The tymbal contains a series of ribs that buckle one after the other when the cicada flexes its muscles. Every time a rib buckles, the rib produces a click… The action is like how a bendy straw makes sound: pulling and pushing the ribs of the bendy straw together makes a series of clicks.”

• Their color keeps them warm. Cicadas are cold-blooded insects that need to be warm once they’re above ground. Their dark exterior absorbs the sunlight and warms them up.

• Some periodical cicadas’ schedules are a bit off. Etymologists have observed periodical cicadas that emerge several years before they’re “supposed to.” Enthusiasts know these as straggler cicadas.

• They’re not harmful. Cicadas are not poisonous and are not considered pests. Their sheer numbers could stunt the growth or even kill “wimpy” and young trees. However, overall, cicadas are considered to be beneficial to regions’ ecosystems.

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