Billions of cicadas hover like a plague over various parts of the US

Billions of cicadas that have spent 13 to 17 years underground are now emerging in parts of the Midwest and southern United States.

“The southern and central states of the United States will be the most affected,” advances Paula Shrewsbury, an entomologist at the University of Maryland. “They will have billions of cicadas.”

13-year cicadas, Brood XIX, are found in Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and other parts of the Southeast. Generation XIII; those of 17 years, arose mainly in Illinois. Periodical cicadas, which stay underground for years and then emerge together, are only found in the United States.

“That’s one of the big mysteries of why these cicadas evolved really long life cycles, among the longest of any insect,” says Floyd Shockley, an entomologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, adding that it could be a radical reaction to temperature changes long ago.

“The last ice ages, which would have occurred after Magicicada evolved, may have forced them to have longer life cycles to survive periods of time in which the trees that serve as their shelter would have been impacted by glaciers,” he adds. Shockley.

Cicadas spend their years underground as nymphs feeding on tree sap until it is time to ascend, which occurs when the ground temperature reaches about 17 degrees Celsius. [64 grados Fahrenheit].

It’s time to mate

“That first night, his only goal is to become an adult,” Shockley says. “It takes them several hours to complete this process. They usually start at dusk and do most of it at night to avoid predators. It’s not a very effective strategy, but when you go out for millions or hundreds of millions, you don’t really have to worry too much about surviving… there are still plenty of [cigarras] for the reproductive phase.

After a few days the mating dance begins. Male cicadas gather in the trees and begin singing to attract females, who will signal to them if they are interested.

It happens like this: “She will move her wings and he will mate with her. And once the cicada mates, he inserts what’s called a copulatory plug, which covers the female so other males can’t mate with her,” Shrewsbury says. “But then he can look for other females to mate with.”

Mating can last from a few hours to a day. Once mated, the females begin to create indentations in the stems of the tree branches where they will lay 400 to 600 eggs before dying.

Time to die or to live?

All cicadas will live above ground for only four to six weeks, long enough to mate and lay eggs before a mass death of adults. The remaining eggs hatch six to eight weeks later. The hatched nymphs fall to the ground and hide underground to begin the cycle again.

While cicadas may be a nuisance to some, scientists say they have ecological benefits and do not harm people or animals. For example, the millions of shed skins decompose and this organic matter is recycled back into the soil.

“And when they come out of the ground, they dig these holes, and those holes will add aeration holes for the roots of the plants. And the water infiltration will be better, so it will help the plants grow better,” explains Shrewsbury.

Insects are also a source of nutritious food for animals.

“We see a lot of feeding, especially from birds, but also from mammals and reptiles that take advantage of that abundant food source,” Shockley says. “Wherever cicadas emerge, there is a population increase of these predators. And so they will have a very good season. And then, of course, their populations will decline naturally as that abundant food source disappears.”

But, cicadas can also be a food source for humans. There are recipes for everything from sautéed cicadas to cicada tacos and chocolate-dipped cicadas. Both Shrewsbury and Shockley have tried them.

“Cigars have a nutty flavor, but they are very nutritious,” he says. “Insects in general are very nutritious,” says Shrewsbury.

“Most people prefer to go ahead and remove the wings and legs,” Shockley says. “Just because, I don’t know why, they think maybe it’s a little less creepy. But they are delicious.”

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