The US expects a “perfect storm” that develops every 17 years

Note. Cicada is a genus of cicadas belonging to the Cycladic family.

An insect storm will be generated when billions of cicadas emerge soon after 17 years underground.

Billions of cicada nymphs that have been living underground since 2004 They will come out of the ground, shed their skin, mate, lay eggs, and then die, all against the background of the deafening noise that males make to attract females.

The last time they emerged, George W Bush was the president of the US, Facebook had just been created, and Athens was preparing to host the Summer Olympics.

When will they arrive?

Difficult to say, as it depends to some extent on the weather conditions and, in particular, on the temperature of the ground. The expected colder temperatures could delay their appearance until mid-May, or they could appear at any time.

Tim Pfeiffer has started tweeting about insects. The 28-year-old, who lives in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland, posted videos of some insects that had appeared before the swarm and crawled across his porch.

It is important to remember that cicadas pose no real threat to humansexcept for the high nuisance factor, and the even greater potential for suffocation. They also do not harm most plants or trees.

For those who want to document the arrival of 2021, an application called Cicada Safari allows users to mark on a map where insects have been seen, with supporting photos.

There are three species of cicadas that have begun to emerge. They all have six legs, red and orange wings, and most have large, red eyes. Its lower part is orange.

• Magicicada seventeen they are usually the first to emerge and are the largest. Its underparts are orange.
• Magicicada cassini they are usually smaller and emerge shortly after the septendecim species. They have black bellies.
• Magicicada septendecula They are also small and their underparts are orange and black.

Cicadas emerge from the ground, shed their skin, and mature into adulthood in a matter of days. Once they are adults, they live for only three to four weeks. However, during that period they do many things: they “sing”, mate and lay eggs, all while stuning humans. The entire process takes about five weeks.