Arachnaphobia, Cicada style! EEEEEWWWWWW

I HATE bugs...ALL bugs (except for fireflies. Those are cool) Anyways, this next posting really sounds like something out of a horror movie but its true. A couple days ago the state of Illinois was overrun by a bug called a Cicada. Scientists have predicted that there will be over a million Cicadas per acre. Anyways, despite how DISGUSTING this is, it is a very interesting story.

Cicada's, like the one pictured here, is a sick sick bug. This particular kind of Cicada is a magicicada, and magicicada's have a 17 year life cycle. They begin as a nymph that lives underground for 17 years, feeding on the juice of plant roots. In the spring of its 17th year, it begins digging its way up to the surface of the ground and eventually breaks through. From there the actual insect cracks out of it nymph shell, waits a few days for their adult cicada bodies to harden and then they head for the trees to mate. Their mating call is EXTREMELY loud, and since they all emerge at once you can imagine how loud this could be. One newspaper article I read says the cicada chorus can reach 100 decibals, which could be compared to a jackhammer or a chain saw. I've read from people who were here 17 years ago when the last emergence happened that if you're outside near to where the cicadas are you will have difficulty hearing the person standing next to you. Okay, so they let out this mating call, they mate, the males die shortly after that and then the females lay eggs on the leaves and branches of old oak and maple trees. The females then die and 6-10 weeks later, the eggs hatch, the baby nymphs fall to the ground, burrow down and thus begins a new 17 year cycle. We are then left with millions of dead cicada's that will eventually decompose.

So this is all really creepy and gross and arachnaphobia-esque, but there are a few good things about it. First of all, I live in a newer part of town with young trees. They don't love young trees so it is highly unlikely that I will see or hear any cicada's by my house. I will probably hear them and see them at Natalie's soccer games and Jack's baseball games, but I'm pretty sure I don't need to worry about them flying into my house or bothering my kids when they play outside. Second, their actual insect life span is only 5-6 week, so by July they should all be dead. And that's pretty much it. Other then those 2 good things its all very freaky!

I apologize for the picture that I took off the internet but there is no way I'm going Cicada hunting just to find a picture for the blog...eeeeeeewwwwww! And quite frankly, this picture doesn't even give the narsty thing justice! They are much uglier then this picture depicts!