Brace yourself. The cicadas are coming.
After seventeen years in hibernation, one of the largest broods of cicadas, Brood X, will be making an appearance. Cicadas are small flying bugs.
Entomologists predict that the woods and even suburban areas will be filled with billions of cicadas. The whistling and buzzing that will take over the spring landscape is actually the sound of a mating call. Once the cicadas find their true love, the females will lay eggs- hundreds of them at a time. The call of the cicadas could last up to four weeks, predicted to start in April or May.
After coming out of hibernation, mating, and laying eggs, the adults will die. Then, when the eggs hatch, the babies will fall from the trees, burrow underground, and take a seventeen-year nap, just like their parents did.
According to Michigan State University entomologist Gary Parsons, the cicadas are harmless to humans but may be a little annoying with their high pitch relentless buzzing. The largest sighting of the Brood X cicadas, when they last appeared in 2004, was centered around Ann Arbor.
The appearance of the Brood X cicadas is expected to be seen in most of the eastern United States. They usually wait for the ground to warm up to the mid 60’s before making their appearance.
Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland
