Buzzing Cicada Swarm Hatching this Spring: Get Ready for a Massive Cleanup

First Posted: Apr 01, 2013 10:27 AM EDT
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They buzz, they fly and they may be swarming the East Coast this spring. A cicada brood is set to hatch after living underground for 17 years, which could mean some massive cleanup efforts for suburbanites.

The brood, which is known as Magicicada Brood II, will emerge once the ground begins to thaw. The soil eight inches from the surface must reach at least 64 degrees before the insects begin to wake from their hibernation and dig themselves out from the earth.

Cicadas are somewhat large insects--about the size of a large cockroach. After first emerging from the ground, the cicada will be in its nymph stage with a dirty brown carapace and no wings. But it won't be long before it breaks free from its shell and emerges with iridescent wings. It will then participate in a several week frenzy of feeding, mating, and egg laying before finally dying. Thousands of these insects are expected to litter the ground. Historically, the Brood II group has been so prolific that picking up their carcasses can sometimes feel like raking leaves in the fall, according to National Geographic.

This particular population of cicadas emerges every 17 years, but there's another population that instead emerges every 13 years. Some researchers believe that these differing cycles make it more difficult for predators to expect the onslaught of insects, which allows the cicadas in turn to better avoid being eaten. Another theory suggests that the cycles allow the insects to avoid parasites, which may have a two-year cycle and could mean that the cicadas and parasites would only "meet" twice each century.

This latest swarm, though, could be quite the show. If the cicadas follow the paths of their parents, which emerged in 1996, they will appear in Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. If you live in these areas, get ready: You'll soon be experiencing the constant chirp, buzz and whirring sounds of cicadas as they populate trees and neighborhoods.

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