Who remembers that high pitched buzzing sound in the yards back in 2021 summer?
I can't forget it for sure! For some reason I never heard of Cicadas till 2021. But when that noise started I looked them up immediately. Apparently those were the male Cicadas using their highest ability to make some noise to attract the females for mating. Uggh!
In 3-4 weeks I started to see some dead cicadas in my yard and I wondered why? They were everywhere.
So what are Cicadas and where the heck do they come from out of like literally no where and that too in so many numbers at same time? I started to research and you can look up the information all over the web just like me! But I found some fun facts and I am sharing them here.
1. Cicadas do not bite or sting. So kids if you see one, don't panic and just let them be.
2. People eat Cicadas, not sure how they are cooked but I read they taste like popcorn. But who would want to eat something that has been underground for more than a decade ?
3. They are the longest living bugs, they are underground for 13-17 years and they synchronously emerge from the ground to mate and then die.
4. There are Cicada maps all over the internet to tell you which one you have in your area and when they will emerge. Brood X is prominent in my area.
5. The Cicada mating call can actually damage some people's ears especially people who have ringing ear problem. Ref : Research Story Tip: Experts Say Cicada Sounds Could Be Problematic for Those with Ear-Ringing Problem | Johns Hopkins Medicine
6. They are not harmful to environment like locusts, in fact they are helpful as they help aerate the soil and once they are dead the soil gains back nitrogen from the dead cicadas.
The year 2024 we are expecting no Cicadas in Ohio but seems like . Brood XIII, a 17-year brood, is expected to emerge. The Brood XIX, a 13-year brood, is expected to emerge
So cool (and annoying)!
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