Cicada Symphony - Brood II

I saw a recent news report regarding the emergence of the 17-year cicada in the Northeast and it brought to mind the column I wrote two years ago about our 13-year cicada invasion here in Augusta.  I believe it calls for a revisit to that topic.

I won't repeat the entire article, but you may read it for yourself if you care to click on the highlighted link for Brood II, the name being given to the huge event.

The article really downplayed the scope of the cicada lifecycle that people will be plagued with in eastern states all the way from North Carolina to Connecticut.  And there is nothing to keep them from spreading to other New England states as well.

As I detailed in my former column, these critters make one heck of a racket.  The males sing to attract the females to engage in the only activity they are there for, S-E-X.  The noise is loud and long, and with as many as 1-million-bugs-per-acre, that sound will be multiplied enough to drive a sane person crazy. 

If you happen to live in one of the affected states, you are in for a serenade the likes of which you can hardly imagine.  Or maybe you can imagine it, if you think about a high-pitched scream and then hear it at about 90 decibels.  Cicadas love to sing in the morning and evening, so don't plan on any early or late patio sitting this spring. 

The article also states that most people will not even see the cicadas, but I don't believe that for a second.  They are about an inch long, and they all have one thing in common: after they mate the males die.  The female gets to lay her fertilized eggs--up to 600 of them--and then she also expires.  Birds are pretty good scavengers, but I doubt that they can consume that many carcasses.  Yes, folks, there will be bodies galore!  Be prepared for the crunch-crunch of carapaces under your shoes.

I thought the stink bugs I encountered up in Maryland and Virginia a few years ago were bad, but at least they didn't make any noise.  They were just ubiquitous and a nuisance.  The cicadas threaten to be a real hazard to your mental health.

It would be nice if I could avoid the northeast for the next couple of months, but I have made plans to visit my son up in Maryland later this month, so I'm afraid I'll be caught up in the middle of the invasion.  Hint: I'm taking earplugs with me.

Oh, in case you want to see what the cicada looks like, and you don't want to take the time to click on the link above, here is a picture of one.  Nasty looking, aren't they?