Sixteen states across the US will be swamped by raunchy cicadas in a mass mating event this spring as trillions of the tiny insects emerge all at the same time.
Two different broods of cicadas, one that lives on a 13-year cycle (Brood XIX), and the other on a 17-year cycle (Brood XIII), will appear from the ground simultaneously in a rare event that happens every 221 years.
And those in the mid-Western states of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa are in for a creepy treat – because those states are home to both broods, meaning double the creepy crawly fun.
Brood XIII, confusingly the 17-year brood, last appeared in 2007, and has four different species to its name – they will begin to appear in late April to early May.
However, Brood XIX, also known as the Northern Illinois Brood, will be far more prolific across the US, sweeping across the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The brood was last seen in 2011 and will begin its emergence near the middle of May.
The dual emergence will almost drown out any peace for those living in states from the Midwest to the Southeast, as these bugs are known to emit a high-pitched buzz that can reach up to 100 decibels.
Unfortunately for these little creatures, they only live for around six more weeks once they reach the surface.
First, they need to shed their exoskeletons and wait until their adult skin hardens – then they can begin to mate.
But the bad luck continues for cicadas, as they are tormented with a fungal disease where their genitals fall off and are replaced by a fungus plug which tricks males to behave like females so uninfected males will try to mate with them.
This spreads the disease and leads to infertility, disease transmission, and the eventual death of the cicada.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has advised people not to be afraid of cicadas as they do not bite or sting, so the only horror show will be the sound – and sight – of these sex-minded bugs.
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