Cicadas

[tmcdowell]

I keep reading articles about this dual brood emergence coming up. It all sounds pretty crazy to me. I used to live in Nebraska/Kansas as a kid, and I still remember the seasonal cicadas - but this just sounds outright preposterous. Does anyone have much experience with these periodical cicadas? I'm curious to hear from folks who witness this event in their locale.

Cicadas Are Coming: Rare 'Dual Emergence' Could Bring One Trillion of the Bugs This Year

The 13-year and 17-year broods that will emerge from underground this spring will be appearing together for the first time in 221 years

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[howl]

I've lived under some of those dots. We get some without being too obnoxious often enough that its unremarkable.
Last big hatch was about 13 years ago. Very loud, very long. Ruined the fishing in the river we lived on. Curiously didn't work for bait, though.

 

[smalls]

I don't mean to pick at nits, but wouldn't have the last dual emergence have happened 204 years ago?

Nevermind,stupid 0 year. It is 221 years.

 

[R.K.]

There’s several broods, these two barely overlap, and I’m going fishing this summer. Any more questions?

 

[longbow51]

We had lots of them; we loved collecting the spent cases and shooting the live ones with pellet guns. Good prep for squirrel hunting. But we seemed to have them every year.

 

[Desk Pop]

 

[tarheel]

While traveling through Virginia in the late 80's we had stopped for a meal at a McDonald's and while inside the place was engulfed by a swarm in the millions. Everything in sight was covered, the air was full of them, women were running about the parking lot screaming and beating them out of their hair and their body parts as they tried to get to their cars or get inside the restaurant.
While amusing and entertaining in a way, there were some thoroughly traumatized people there that day. On leaving, you couldn't take a step in the parking lot without stepping on multiples.

 

[howl]

 

[WildWill]

We get a ton of them Kids love collecting the shells.

 

[longbow51]

We get a ton of them Kids love collecting the shells.View attachment 323625View attachment 323626View attachment 323627

Do they put them on their noses? We did. Freaked out our Mom.

 

[JustinsDad]

Ours come every 17 years. It takes a few years for the shells to go away. They are wild loud when they do their thing. I don’t think we have the 14 year variety here.

 

[crock239]

We usually have some around every year...but we're on the edge of the overlap range on the map, so I guess I'll post up pics later if things get weird here.

 

[WildWill]

Do they put them on their noses? We did. Freaked out our Mom.

Haven't seen them do that yet. My daughter did weave several into her hair once almost as decorative beads. My wife was none to impressed by that.

 

[Bullshot]

Experienced a bunch of emergences from different broods. Amazing though sometimes irritating experience. Lasts a few weeks.

For all you subsistence types, if you really want to immerse yourself in it, go ahead and hunt some newly emerged and moulted cicadas, rip off their wings and throw in an Old Bay tempura batter, followed by a quick deep fry. Then serve some to you mother in law, tell her they are popcorn shrimp.

(but seriously, they are quite edible and actually very good that way). Something to say you did! Just don’t eat any raw on a dare. That was nasty!!!!

 

[howl]