Pharoh

The emergence of the 17 year Brood X Cicadas is imminent. Trillions due to come out of their holes any day now, if not already in some places. Has anybody already spotted/heard them? I don't mind them, but they can be awfully loud. Colder than average temperatures has delayed their arrival in many places, but what about in the Carolinas or DC? Infiltrated yet?

Picture for those unaware:

Kevin Phillips

I am between D.C. and Baltimore. It's been colder than normal so no sign of them yet. I was here for the 2004 event and it was really a spectacle. I'm looking forward to this year, but have a feeling the land development in the last 17 years will reduce their numbers quite a bit.

VinVega

How far south do they range? I don't think we get them in FL. It's a mid atlantic thing, yes?

Kevin Phillips

Looking at the Brood X map, they only get as far south as northern Georgia.

Red Dog

Starting to emerge in Arlington.
Ready or Not, the Cicadas Are Here | ARLnow.com

Timber

Third time in my life and I look forward to it. I love the sound.

Pharoh

Map of prevalence

kenbuzz

Sweet! I was in the DC Metro area during the 2004 event.... and my relocation to Indiana puts me at Ground Zero for the western swarm in 2021.

zyzzle

Fascinating. A 17-year circadian rhythm is bonkers, yet Nature finds a way. I've never heard them, of course, having resided all my years in Calif. Some questions, for those who have experienced the phenomenon:
1. Are they like hordes of locusts -- getting into everything and every orifice that isn't closed tightly?
2. How loud are they (in decibels)? Is it a continuous noise 24 / 7?
3. How long do they stay around? Days, weeks?]
4. Does it interfere with normal life, walking, traffic flow?

Inquiring minds want to know. Most obliged!

Red Dog

1. Not really flying around. But they are everywhere - at least on a lawn/tree area. They crawl up trees to mate and the offspring drops to the ground and then burrows. I don't remember 2004 much (since I lived in a city/urban area) but definitely the 1987 one in suburbia at my parents house in MD. Probably ran over thousands of them mowing the lawn.
2. Very loud - consistent day and night.
3. Probably around a month (at least the peak period) from what I remember.
4. No. Maybe walking a dog.

Kevin Phillips

Although they aren't always flying, they do fly a bit. It's a bit unsettling when you're out walking/biking and they collide with you or land on you.

printerati

From experience, they will definitely fly into you when you are out mowing the lawn, as (I've heard) they are drawn to the sound of the mower. You are also supposed to cover young and other susceptible trees with some sort of netting, since they lay their eggs in the tips of branches, which are split open when they hatch. I covered my newly-planted 5' pear tree back in 2004, which survived and is now around 40' tall. After everything had hatched, trees covered with dead leaves at the tips of every branch was not an uncommon sight around here.

TomOpus

This video doesn't do justice to how truly loud they are. And the sound surrounds you.

Noonan

I don't dislike the sound they make but I don't live somewhere that gets overrun by them. Sound just reminds me of summer as a kid.

Giantrobo

That's a lot of protein going to waste...

zyzzle

Well, they've got nothing on all that Soylent Green....

Brian Shannon

Have not seen a one but the news sure loves to flog this story

AGuyNamedMike

I definitely remember an emergence back in '79 (a different Brood). The husks were everywhere! Then they got so loud we had trouble sleeping most of May or June.

Michael Corvin

I don't mind it either. However, where I live now, I have a forest in my backyard. So that opinion may be short lived. We shall see.

rexinnih

Summers in Japan when I lived there was heavy on cicada sounds in the evening. Was quite relaxing. In WA state now so will think you all while watching the news.

Dan

Quatermass

I remember this documentary addressed this:

Timber

A classic!

Kmical

I, for one, welcome our new cicada overlords.

tanman

That's actually the point. Emerge all at once and swarm so a good majority of them avoid predation. Pretty interesting.