May 14th, 2013: The magicicadas are coming!

We came across a great article on weather.com regarding the magicicadas that will be swarming our area in the next month or so.  Yes, Magic Cicadas, a breed found only on the eastern half of the US.  These cicadas have been resting for 17 years a few feet below ground as wingless  “nymphs” sucking on tree roots apparently and biding their time since 1996.  This infestation is being labeled as Brood II and will outnumber us 600-1.  They say the “singing” of the cicadas can reach 94 decibels, so loud you wouldn’t hear a plane flying overhead.

No one knows just when the cicadas will emerge or for how long they will be here but scientists guess when the ground temperature reaches 64 degrees exactly they will emerge and hang around for 4-6 weeks  not to return until 2030.

Cicadas are not harmful, don’t bite and are not toxic.  Animals will eat them so watch that your dog doesn’t eat too many.  Hurry and get your earplugs now before they are sold out!

Billions of cicadas are expected to emerge and unless eaten or killed by predators will molt and loose their shell.  These shells will clog open gutter systems and valleys causing overflow. If you haven’t scheduled your spring service, now is the time.

Read the full article here:  http://www.weather.com/news/science/nature/billions-of-cicadas-return-20130506