Posted on 05/20/2007 9:59:37 PM PDT by hole_n_one
The Associated Press
It sounds like a bad horror movie. But it’s actually the name of the billions of cicadas expected to emerge this month in parts of the Midwest after spending 17 years underground.
The red-eyed, shrimp-sized, flying insects don’t bite or sting. But they are known for mating calls that produce a din that can overpower ringing telephones, lawn mowers and power tools.
Brood XIII is expected across northern Illinois and in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Cicadas live only about 30 days as adults, and their main goal is mating.
They don’t harm humans, although they are clumsy and might fly into people. Birds, squirrels and pets, especially dogs, love to eat them, and they are high in protein.
“They’re going to have quite a meal. It’s going to be like Thanksgiving for them,” said Tom Tiddens, supervisor for plant health care at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
They are periodical cicadas, which are only found in the eastern half of North America. The annual, or dog-day cicadas, that appear every summer are common around the world.
The last massive emergence of periodical cicadas was in 2004, when Brood X emerged after 17 years underground in parts of 15 Eastern states. Some broods emerge after 13 years.
A single male’s shrill courtship call can reach 90 decibels, which is equivalent to a kitchen blender.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, spokeswoman Gloria Ciaccio joked that her advice for brides holding outdoor weddings will be to put the tent flaps down and turn the music up.
Are those your personal pictures?
Will these bad boys make it to Texas?
We had them around here a few years back. The dog loved them. I thought the noise was kinda cool. They get louder when the sun is out. Everytime a cloud would pass over, they would calm down.
I think they might be cool to see once. Preferably from inside.
Did your dog munch on ‘em?
If they are, Pharmboy looks a lot like bugs in batter.
Who’d a thunk it?
Yup
In 2004 you couldn’t hear anything but these 17 year cicadas when they got ramped up around sunset(East TN). They seem to always be on time.
I lived in Maryland once and remember the cicadas. They say they taste like asperagus. My kids used to wack ‘em with a tennis racket.
I live in the midwest within 300 miles of Chicago and the 17 year locust cycle occurred just 3 years ago or so here. If you live through it, it is not something you forget. It's noisy, the dead carcuses stink of rotting flesh, your house is covered with the larvae shell, you have gizzard goop on your windshield the size of a baseball. It's just nasty.
Makes me wonder how local the cycle is...
Yeccchhh. Not me...found them on the net. The guy has a whole slew of them.
Do they have a lot of iodine in them?
More illegal aliens coming here to have babies!
Yes. I expect Arlen Specter to quote Scottish law to back that up.
Did you find a link between shellfish allergy and the cicida or was there another factor that may have caused the patient to be alergic. Other allergies? Did the patient have arthritis or family history of arthritis?
I remember reading about that patient, probably here on FR by you?
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