Billions of cicadas to swarm the East Coast this spring

[CatWoman]

Billions of cicadas to swarm the East Coast this spring after dwelling underground for past 17 years

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305178/Billions-cicadas-swarm-East-Coast-spring-dwelling-underground-past-17-years.html#ixzz2PuvS3H00

[Squinch]

1. Ewwww.....Not looking forward to it.

[upaloopa]

2. I remember them as a kid and the noise they made on

hot humid summer nights when we had no air conditioning.
Laying in bed not being able to sleep and that noise outside.

[NightWatcher]

8. For that reason, I liked them

Screens in the windows, hot nights, and the soothing noises (my first white noise exposure).

[RudynJack]

3. I was in Ohio

years ago during a cicada bloom. It was pretty damned impressive.

Fun fact: cicada cycles are always prime numbers. This prevents predator species from developing a regular cycle (every two years, three years, etc.)

[haikugal]

4. They are so cool...

loud, but cool.

[Walk away]

5. Henry's Favorite Snack is Back!!!

Yum! You can play with them for hours and then enjoy them as a crunchy snack!!! Plenty of Protein and no pesky Carbs!!!!!

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[JaneyVee]

6. NOOOOO!

[mike_c]

7. I've witnessed that brood's emergence the last two times....

The first time, I was a young man living in northern Virginia, and the second time I was teaching at a small college in central Pennsylvania, visiting family still in northern Virginia during summer. I've seen other periodical emergences elsewhere, but that one in the DC area is phenomenal. The noise is astonishing. It sounds otherworldly, like the mother ship is hovering nearby.

I'm in California now, so I won't see this one.

[customerserviceguy]

9. Good lord

I didn't think these things could get more intense. I moved to NY six years ago, and I'll never forget the first time I heard their unearthly sounds. My lady and I were coming out of a restaurant on a summer's eve, and I heard this cacophonous noise coming from a grove of trees across the street from the parking lot. I said to her, "What the hell is that noise??!!" She said pointing at a man at the far corner of the parking lot, "That's just a man talking on a cell phone." Apparently, folks around here are inured to it.

If you've never heard the sound, go here:

http://www.cicadamania.com/audio/

The fourth sound file down (Tibicen tibicen) is the one in my area. Put the volume of your speakers way up if you really want to experience it as it sounds in real life. I can't begin to imagine what this 17 year phenomenon is like.

[elleng]

10. I remember!

Crunch Crunch Crunch!

[JesterCS]

11. The one closest sounding to Ohio

at least my area, seemed to be the Tibicen

[olddots]

12. they were so loud in Alabama I can't forget the sound

a constant moving wave like they were setting each other off then a moment of silence then the wave started again.

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. There seems to be 2 kinds here in Ala.

I hear 2 different cacophonies in the summer, one deeper in tone and with a slightly different rhythm than the other one.
Throw in the tree and bullfrogs and it is pretty darn loud in the summer.

Actually, last summer was pretty quiet, plus very very few love bugs.
Hellish amount of mosquitoes, tho.

[panader0]

13. Seems like I just heard of a monster locust swarm in Madagascar....

[Buns_of_Fire]

14. Can Andrew Zimmern and Bear Grylls be far behind? nt

[Renew Deal]

15. I for one welcome our new insect overlords

It's been a while since they've showed up in big numbers. It will be noisy, but I like these critters.

[HipChick]

16. They taste good dipped in chocolate