Millions of Cicadas Will Re-Emerge in These States After 17 Years Underground

(Source housebeautiful.com)

They’re back and ready to make some noise! Those bulbous-eyed, noisy little critters known as cicadas, are emerging from the soil as we speak. After 17 years of underground living, millions of these bad boys are ready to stretch their wings and give Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia a very loud wakeup call. Cicadas are known for their unique life cycle. According to National Geographic, there are over 3,000 species of this insect. While some species reappear annually (such as dog-day cicadas) others take a break for either 13 or 17 years. Many of these years spent down below are developmental years as cicadas grow from nymph to adult, but much about their time underground remains “one of the great mysteries of the insect world,” according to a press release from Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology. Known as periodic cicadas, these species reside and develop in the soil for a number of years before surfacing in massive swarms. This year, Brood IX will take over parts of Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia, the department writes. As many as 1.5 million cicadas will span per acre in these areas. “People who live in these regions will experience a unique natural phenomenon that has not occurred in most of the area since 2003-04.”