The cicadas are arriving. The periodic emergence of trillions of cicadas, on a scale not seen in several hundred years, is under way in parts of the US, with several states reporting the orange-eyed insects are bursting from their underground dormancy.
Cicadas have started arriving earlier than expected in Illinois, a cicada hotspot this year, while there are reports of swarms emerging in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, along with some other states.
In South Carolina, the noise emitted by male cicadas calling for potential mates has prompted some people to call the police asking why they can hear sounds “like a siren, or a whine, or a roar”. One resident said that the sound given off resembled “somebody screaming”.
The emergence is the largest such event since 1803, with trillions of cicadas coming above-ground at once across much of the midwestern and eastern US. The simultaneous appearance of two cicada broods – known as Brood XIX and Brood XIII – is a rare event that has caused wonder and excitement among researchers and some members of the public, as well as calls of alarm to the police.
Here’s what you need to know about what is being called “cicada-geddon” or “cicada-palooza”.
When and where are the cicadas emerging?
Cicadas have already started to appear in several states, with many more expected in the coming weeks as soils reach the optimum temperature of about 64F (17C). This huge burst of life is expected to be visible and raucous but brief, with the cicadas emerging, reproducing and dying, if they avoid being devoured by predators, within six weeks.