TRILLIONS of cicadas are set to invade the United States for the first time in 221 years, scientists say.
In late April, two large broods of periodical cicadas are expected to emerge from the ground for a noisy mating frenzy.
“Billions, even trillions, of cicadas are going to emerge at the same time across 17 states,” Chris Simon, a professor in UConn’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, told Live Science.
Brood XIII and XIX have been living underground for 17 and 13 years respectively.
They will soon emerge at the same time for the first time in 221 years.
Periodical broods are found in eastern North America and tend to emerge in large numbers.
Once they hatch, the nymphs feed off root sap underground until it’s time to mate.
Mating season has been described as a noisy and chaotic display that could happen for weeks.
An event like this hasn’t occurred since 1803 when Thomas Jefferson was president and it’s not expected to happen again until 2244.
“The co-emergence of any two broods of different cycles is rare because the cycles are both prime numbers,” John Cooley, founder of the Periodical Cicada Project and a professor in UConn’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, told the publication.
“Any given 13- and 17-year broods will only co-emerge once every 13 x 17 = 221 years.”
However, despite the large volume of cicadas that will appear next, it won’t look too different from previous emergences, scientists say.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/tech/10925607/trillions-bugs-swarm-mating-frenzy-weeks-founding-fathers/