Cicadas...besides being the sound (song?), of Summer for some or the noise of the season for others, "Did you know that [these insects [are] on the rise [this year]? "Backyard bug-watchers are seeing the winged bugs known as cicadas come out of their holes in New Jersey and North Carolina after 17 years of underground slumber — and scientists say a full-scale outbreak may not be far behind."There are some pretty convincing reports coming out," John Cooley, an expert on cicadas at the University of Connecticut, told NBC News. "It's fair to say it's starting, but it's still in the very early stages. It certainly isn't going all crazy. ... When it really happens, it's not going to be like this. It's going to be shovel loads of cicadas."
Cooley maintains one of the most closely watched websites for this spring's emergence, Magicicada.org. Little bug logos are popping up on different areas of Magicicada's interactive map, which means a smattering of Internet users are seeing cicadas coming out of the ground. In some cases, they're even seeing the bugs crawling around as adults.
Cooley, however, says that we ain't seen nothing yet. "When it really happens, we expect that website will just light up," he said.
The outlook is similar on other bug-watching sites — such as Radiolab's Cicada Tracker, which is encouraging listeners to put out their own soil-thermometer setups. Those readings are considered key leading indicators for cicada activity, because researchers have found that the bugs emerge en masse when the springtime soil temperature reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). A different temperature tracker set up by the Sutron information network for the Washington area suggests that the nation's capital still has a way to go before the cicadas come out.
Insects are expected to emerge by the billions on the East Coast, across an area stretching from North Carolina to Connecticut. This army of bugs, known as 'Brood II', [a distinct population staticical number, they carry Roman numerals like Brood II, X, XIV and XIX, which will emerge in 2013, 2021, 2025 and 2024, respectively], spends 17 years feeding on plant roots underground.
Sometime between late April and early June, depending on the weather, the insects burrow out of the ground as nymphs. The juveniles shed their outer skins, crawl up trees or buildings, and fly around to find their mates. The females lay their eggs, and then the adults die in droves. All this happens in the course of four to six weeks.
After another few weeks, a new generation of nymphs hatch from the eggs, drop to the ground, burrow into the soil and begin the next 17-year cycle.
...When it comes, [the 'tsunami'] of cicada emerging can fill the skies with flying bugs and fill the ears with a hum [buzz] as loud as a jet engine or lawn mower. Those who have been through the full-frontal buzz say the experience can be disconcerting if you're not prepared for it. But cicadas are not considered a threat to humans. In fact, they can
be quite delicious" (https://www.google.com/search?q=cicada+recipes).
Read More: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/...nd-scientists-get-ready-for-the-big-buzz?lite
PS I happen to like Cicadas because for a brief peiod...they are the 'Sound of Summer'!
Last edited by a moderator:
Bugs and what they can do to a paint job (if left 'unchecked' on one's vehicle...I tend to visit the local car wash at every end destination), is likely to bring about thoughts of pure dread and the battle ahead to combat them.
