After 17 years, Brood X cicadas to return in spring 2021.
The brood cicadas mostly arrive in the Southeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic region in the United States, leaving the ears buzzing all spring with billions of participant. They have a distinctive sound (of almost 100 decibels) that cannot be kept unheard.
Every year a group of cicada insects emerge from the ground in the eastern region of the USA but once in every 17 years, the largest group of cicadas or Brood cicadas come out to occupy a large geographical area.
Here are the facts that one must know about this rare phenomenon.
There are almost 3000 or more species of cicadas living on Earth, but only seven species are periodical. Brood cicadas are the largest among 17-year species.
The first report on the Brood variety of cicadas was in 1715 from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
These bugs mostly spend their lives underground until they develop into adults. Similarly, Brood cicadas spend around 13-17 years living underground.
They feed on the roots of the trees and moult through five growth cycles.
They are not considered pests despite their black bodies, striking red eyes and orange veined wings, but cicadas are often mistaken to be locusts.
Predator Satiation is one of the strangest tricks of survival used by periodic cicadas. Most predators have a shorter life cycle of 1, 2, 5 or 10 years, so most cicadas avoid coming out when the population of predators are blooming.
It is difficult for the cicadas to survive cold summer above the ground, so as soon as the soil temperature hits 64 degrees, bugs emerge.
Cicadas are harmless and do not carry diseases. These bugs might be a danger to young fruit trees but won’t destroy the crops like locusts. They do not sting or bite, so you and your pets are completely safe.
The buzzing sound is created by male cicadas, whereas the female bugs are silent.
After transforming into winged adults, they spend their last 4-6 weeks above the ground. During this, they shed exoskeleton, mate, and lay eggs for the next generation and die.
The arrival of cicadas in 2021 is predicted based on the data published by NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN). Although, the expected time of arrival may vary due to climate change and shift in temperatures. However, several monitoring stations of NCEI are recording the soil temperatures and moisture data throughout the United States to track their emergence.
So once the Brood X cicadas arrive in your area, you can track their arrival in the upcoming years.
