Billions of 17-year cicadas are about to emerge and swarm Michigan

[TexasTowelie]

Brood X cicadas, like this one from 2004, will emerge in the billions in 2021 for the first time in 17 years. (Photo by Paul Savage | The Times of Trenton)


Billions and billions of Brood X cicadas are about to emerge from the ground and swarm much of the East Coast, including parts of Michigan. We haven’t seen these bugs with the big red eyes since 2004.

From North Carolina to Connecticut and all the way into Michigan, humans will be outnumbered by the insects by about 600 to 1. Essentially, they will be all over the place, but won’t make it everywhere in Michigan.

“They’ll be only in the extreme lower southeast peninsula. Ann Arbor is about as far north as they come,” said Howard Russell, an insect/arthropod diagnostician at Michigan State University. “Nearby, they occur pretty much throughout Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. They’re in Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and quite a few other states. This is the most widespread brood.”

These are some of the world’s longest-living insects and while they stay underground, the bugs aren’t actually asleep. They go through different growth stages before coming to the surface to mate.

Read more: https://www.mlive.com/life/2021/01/billions-of-17-year-cicadas-are-about-to-emerge-and-swarm-michigan.html

[DonaldsRump]

1. I experienced a cicada summer years back

Truly incredible. The little critters were everywhere. Basically harmless, but man, if they were in your car, it was a nightmare.

...and then were gone, just like that. Will never forget that time.

One of nature's many miracles...I read somewhere that it is 17 years for a reason, as it makes it much harder for predators to know when they emerge. Science ain't my strong suit, so perhaps others better know what's involved.

[Cicada]

2. Don't fear. We come to serve mankind.

Maybe with a little garlic and salt.