Read Aristotle on cicadas in History of Animals. The cicada song, produced with a special organ called a tymbal, can reach 120 decibels, which is the lower end of the pain threshold.Ĭicadas have five eyes! The rumours that they are blind are hogwash.Ĭicadas are dutiful environmental stewards: the nymphs aerate the soil by burrowing down into it the adult bodies feed insectivores the carcasses provide nitrogen for the trees. Aristotle preferred to eat the males before they shed their exoskeleton he was also partial to pregnant females and their creamy eggs. When the nymphs first emerge, they look for someplace to shed their skin. After hatching, the nymphs go underground where they nibble on roots until they’re ready to emerge many years later. After copulating, and laying eggs, the adults die. The females remain quiet.Īdulthood for the cicada lasts only four to six weeks. There are other cicada cookbooks available too.
Last time the cicadas emerged in 2004, Jenna Jadin, an American photojournalist, wrote a cicada cookbook, which is available online here. Brood X (that’s ten) is emerging this year. Three broods spend 13 years underground and 12 spend 17 years underground. Of the periodical cicadas, there are 15 broods on record. With apologies to Fran Lebowitz: If you're going to Staten Island, bring your own food.There are periodical cicadas which emerge every 13 or 17 years, and there are annual cicadas, which emerge every two years or so and tend not to do so by the trillions (as the periodical ones are known to). And then you won't see them again for 17 years.įun fact #8: Some people say that you can eat cicadas. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, periodical cicadas emerge from their underground nests, make a lot of noise mating, and as soon as the female lays eggs, she dies. They are not locusts at all.įun fact #7: Periodical cicadas don't stick around long. Locusts are a type of grasshopper that swarm like a plague. According to the Audobon Society, although periodical cicadas are referred to as "17-year locusts" in the vernacular, they are not locusts at all. How many eggs do they lay each? Around 600 eggs per female.įun fact #6: Cicadas are not locusts. That's about the same decibel level as a jackhammer in action.įun fact #5: Female Brood II periodical cicadas lay a lot of eggs. They are an inch or more in length and have 2 pairs of wings. The mating sounds of cicadas can reach 100 decibels. Cicadas are usually green with red and black markings. Also: Cicadas do not bite humans or animals.įun fact #4: The most annoying thing the Brood II periodical cicadas will probably do is make noise. Insect experts say that the minimal damage that cicadas do is the result of laying eggs in branches. You can tell the difference between a dog-day cicada and a periodical cicada by looking at the eyes and wings.įun fact #3: Cicadas do minimal damage to plants. Will the cicada infestation of 2013 be worse for Staten Island residents than the 2011 wild turkey infestation?įun fact #2: Brood II periodical cicadas have red eyes and clear wings. Exterminators have perhaps their biggest project ever. Fun fact #1: Cicadas have emerged and swarmed Staten Island, NY.