Fauna Journal Entry

U.S. Braces for Cicada Swarm (May 1, 2004)

Huge swarms of locust-like insects called cicadas are about to invade the United States. Billions and billions of the insects are due to swarm across the mid-Atlantic and some midwestern and southern states sometime around the end of May.

Cicadas are shrimp-sized insects that crawl out of the ground every seventeen years in the United States. They don't bite or attack people. They don't even cause that much damage to trees and plants, given their tremendous numbers. The reason is they are well-nourished underground from years of sucking on tree roots. By the time they come above ground, they are usually well fed.

Their main goal after surfacing is to mate. During daylight hours, huge swarms of cicadas make a loud buzz while they mate. The insects are quiet after dark then start buzzing again the next morning. The mating season lasts for two to three weeks.

Cicadas come above ground when soil temperatures warm to about 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius). They usually emerge after spring rains soften the warmed soil. Overnight, thousands suddenly appear across a vast area.

The cicada swarm will likely show up in mid-Atlantic states between Washington and New York City. They're also due across the Midwest, especially in Indiana and Ohio. People in Kentucky and Georgia will likely be visited by the insects as well.

Cicadas are an important part of nature's cycles and a sign of good environmental health. They help aerate the soil and provide food food for other organisms in the food chain. But they do cause some damage to the environment. Females slice through branches and twigs to deposit fertilized eggs the size of rice grains. The eggs hatch a few weeks later, usually in June. The larvae will burrow back into the ground and begin searching for tree roots. Seventeen years later, the cycle will begin again.