No, I'm not talking about your neighborhood teenagers. This article is about the Brood X cicadas that have swarmed throughout the East Coast, with the most concentrated in and around Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Many cicadas appear annually and on many other cycles, but this infamous group is the longest-spanning brood. Seventeen years ago, their mothers deposited eggs along tree stems. After a period of six to ten weeks, the eggs hatched, and the nymphs fell below and tunneled their way about a foot or less underground to suck on tree roots until this year. Once the ground temperature reached 64 degrees (Fahrenheit) for at least three consecutive days, they crawled out of hibernation. They shed their skins, grew, spread their wings, and began their short life with us, eating and finding mates. Cicadas are among the longest-living insects. However, these cicadas live 99.5% of their existence below ground, so they are only above ground for less than six weeks before they die. Their offspring will return in 2038.
Here are a few other interesting and fun cicada facts:
- The very loud sound we hear is the mating call of the males only, and this can be quite loud, reaching 100 decibels. (This year, we are aware of them literally competing with lawnmowers during our Zoom, WebEx, and RingCentral calls while we work at home.)
- The insects don’t bite or sting, and they are vegan, eating mostly tree sap. This actually helps to prune older trees, so insecticides are not needed, but some people placed netting over very immature trees (and any smaller, shrub-like co-workers who don’t move too fast).
- Cicadas are edible and apparently taste like shellfish. (Seriously, the FDA even says those with shellfish allergies should avoid eating them.)
- The exact number of Brood X cicadas is not known, but it is estimated to be in the billions, which explains why no matter how many we see squashed on the ground or eaten by birds and other predatory animals, even our pets, millions and millions will survive.
- Despite bumping into us and our cars, cicadas are NOT blind... In fact, they have three additional eyes! However, their vision is very low, probably limited to 6 inches. (Keep this in mind in relation to Section 508 regulations.)
- Cicadas are not locusts, so we are not experiencing an apocalypse. There is no need to cash in your 401(k).
I wrote this article, the final word on cicadas, for the latest edition of the SeKON Enterprise employee newsletter. (Photo by Paul Kilmon.)
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