Billions of cicadas will dig their way out from underground to mate and lay eggs. Source: PixaBay.
Scientists are predicting that billions of cicadas will be unleashed in the US, in what is being referred to as the “cicadapocalypse”.
In the next upcoming months of Spring, a rare emergence of two separate broods of cicadas will surface — one that appears every 13 years, known as the Great Southern Brood, and another every 17 years, known as the Northern Illinois Brood — to mate and lay eggs for the first time in 221 years.
These two broods have never been above ground at the same time since 1803.
“It’s rare that we see this size of double brood emergence,” said Dr. Jonathan Larson, an extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky.
“We’re talking about an absolute oddity of nature, one of America’s coolest insects.”
The cicadas will only be active for about eight weeks above ground.
According to a recent study, published in the National Academy of Sciences, cicadas will eliminate waste as urine when they surface to ward off predators. The study found that cicadas, can form “fluidic jets” with a speed of 0.6 to 3.16 metres per second.
Other than the loud and annoying noises they make, cicadas are not “not harmful to humans, pets, household gardens, or crops”, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“You should expect lots and lots of cicada exoskeletons to be covering your trees and shrubs. You should expect to hear lots and lots of noise,” Larson said.
Cicadas are neither poisonous nor dangerous to pets, says Larson, but if dogs or cats do eat them, the worse they can get is an upset stomach.
Dr. Chris Simon, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, encourages people to help scientists record the experience by downloading the Cicada Safari app and photographing cicadas they see in the area.
Larson also encourages people to enjoy this rare occurrence which will never be seen again until 2245.
“These are some of the coolest insects in America,” he said.
“I really hope that people will appreciate this for what it is: this unique natural phenomenon that you don’t get anywhere else. It’s beautiful.”
