Posted on 01/22/2024 9:44:58 AM PST by Red Badger
It’s official: 2024 belongs to the cicadas.
This spring, two different broods of cicadas — one that lives on a 13-year cycle and the other that lives on a 17-year cycle — will emerge at the same time from underground in a rare, synchronized event that last occurred in 1803.
Billions of the winged insects will make an appearance across the Midwest and the Southeast, beginning in some places in late April, for a raucous mating ritual that tends to inspire fascination and annoyance in equal measure.
This year’s dual emergence is a once-in-a-lifetime event. While any given 13-year brood and 17-year brood can occasionally emerge at the same time, each specific pair will see their cycles aligned only once every 221 years. What’s more, this year’s cicada groups, known as Brood XIII and Brood XIX, happened to make their homes adjacent to one another, with a narrow overlap in central Illinois.
“Thomas Jefferson was president the last time these two broods came out, so is it rare? Yes,” said Gene Kritsky, an entomologist at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati and author of “A Tale of Two Broods,” a book about this year’s dual emergence that was published earlier this month.
After 2024, Brood XIII and Brood XIX cicadas won’t sync up their emergences again for another 221 years.
These types of cicadas are periodical insects that spend most of their lives underground feeding on tree roots. After 13 years or 17 years, depending on their brood, the cicadas will tunnel to the surface to reach maturity and engage in a monthlong, noisy search for a mate.
Cicadas typically surface in the spring once soil reaches a temperature of around 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
The blue map dots denote Brood XIII cicadas and the red dots are areas where Brood XIX has emerged in the past. These areas will likely have periodical cicadas in 2024.Cicada Safari
Brood XIII cicadas appear in the Midwest, mostly centered in Illinois but also stretching into Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa. Brood XIX cicadas have been spotted over a much larger geographic area that includes Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
When these insects emerge, they do so in big numbers. And they're not exactly quiet in their mating frenzy.
The insects are known to emit a high-pitched buzz, or mating song, that can reach up to 100 decibels — roughly equivalent to a motorcycle or jackhammer.
I’m glad we don’t get them where I am. When I lived in Texas they were deafening.
“This pleases the ‘One Worlders’ to no end; plenty of bugs for we Proletariat to eat!”
We all know the One Worlders would complain about harvesting them. “SAVE THE CICADAS”
The Greenies and New World Order creepies will be eating well this year.
In other news, globalists herald the looming invasion as “the end of hunger in the US.”
Will Ben & Jerry’s have a new flavor?...................
If I knew how, I’d catch and freeze dry them for my chickens. Apparently they are good food for them in moderation.
I give them a handful of mealworms now as a treat and they love them, but it’s expensive.
End times! LOL
We’ll get them. Last time they were super loud and everywhere. Hard to walk from my car to the front door without stepping on them.
Then they get on your shirt.
🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
I would shoot them with a rubber band gun when I was a kid. On the bright side, there are ‘cicada killer’ wasps that love them.
I’ll just remove my hearing aids…..
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