Return of Brood X; Just some noisy bunch of bugs

     We’ve been in quarantine for over a year now, but that is nothing for a bunch of bugs who have been underground since 2004. These bugs have been living down in the soil for most or maybe all of our lives. Since then, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the iPhone was invented, the U.S has seen four presidents, the economy entered a Great Recession, and countless other major events occurred in history.

     According to USA Today, “this year’s group, known as Brood X, is the largest of the 17-year-broods in both density and geographical area.” Fifteen states and Washington, D.C. will be impacted by the arrival of billions of periodical cicadas. The states that will be substantially hit are the southeast corner of Pennsylvania and almost all of Maryland.

     When the soil temperature eight inches down hits 64 degrees, the cicadas will begin to appear. Typically for the Delmarva area, this could be as early as late-April or the first week of May. And once they emerge, the cicadas will live for about four to six weeks, as stated by USA Today.

     One of cicadas most notable features is being outrageously loud. “Sounds up to 90 decibels could be measured standing directly under a tree filled with cicadas,” the New York Times reports. In comparison, a motorcycle can produce 95 decibels, which can damage hearing after about 50 minutes of continuous exposure.

     Being in the generation that has not seen the phenomenon yet, only stories could be passed down about the millions that return only so often. Freshman Emily Johnson explained that everyone has told her, “that they are big and can be very loud!” According to National Geographic, cicadas can vary in size from .75 to 2.25 inches in length. 

     Johnson also admitted, “Their return doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable, but they may make it harder to fall asleep at night with their loud chirping and may also get annoying throughout the day.”

     So why make all the noise anyways? Is it just their life goal to annoy the rest of us? Turns out their chirping, is their trademark catcall. USA Today states that, “male cicadas have a special ribbed organ called a timbal. When they flex their muscles, the ribs rub together and produce sound.”

     Besides their trademarked annoyance, fear is common among most Delmarva residents surrounding these bugs and their militaristic name. But there is no reason to be afraid because cicadas cause no harm to humans; they don’t swarm and they don’t bite. 

     The only unpleasant gift they leave behind, is their shell of the bug they used to be. Junior Seth Jones agreed, “I am not afraid of their return because they are just bugs. If they get in the way you can just smash them.”

     However, cicadas can do damage to a different form of life: plants. According to the New York Times, “Because they feed off plants, cicadas can injure small trees and shrubs. Marylanders may also want to cover younger trees and other vulnerable plants with thin branches with protective netting so that females don’t cover them with eggs.” The eggs can cut off plants’ circulatory systems, commonly known as flagging.

     And the weirdest spectacle of this phenomenon is that cicadas are edible, and popular to eat among many cultures around the world. They are gluten free, high in protein, and low in fat and carbs, National Geographic revealed. Jones says that he would be adventurous enough that, “[he] probably would [try one] as long as it isn’t alive.”

     The Baltimore Sun explained, “at the beginning, cicada nymphs will dig to the surface, leaving behind small pockmarks in the grass. Then, the fascinating creatures will settle on perches of all kinds to do their final molt, leaving behind their adolescent shells.”

     The nymphs that will be born this year, will emerge as cicadas in the next Brood X in 2038.