(ORDO NEWS) — Parts of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and some other states may soon be filled with cicadas because entomologists predict densities of up to 1.5 million insects per acre.
The reason for this cacophony is the appearance of brood IX (9), which spent the last 17 years underground in the form of nymphs.
“A large number of cicadas appearing simultaneously can be a noise issue,” said Eric Day, an entomologist from Virginia. “But I hope it will not be annoying for people, because it is an amazing event.”
“Periodic” cicadas — such as Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecim — spend most of their life in soil in the form of nymphs . After 13 or 17 years, depending on the species, the nymphs drop their shell and come to the surface to mate and start the cycle anew.
But why the cycle takes place every 13 or 17 years, and not every 12 and 16 years, is “one of the greatest mysteries of the insect world”.
Different broods cover different geographical regions, this time the “invasion” of cicadas is predicted in Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. Brood X, due next year, is “occupying” Pennsylvania and Washington (DC).
Unlike some other types of insects, cicadas do not pose a particular threat, but entomologists advise people not to start growing trees a year before cicadas appear.
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