Ugh, they are so annoying and ugly and creepy and disgusting and big and stupid.
Don't know what a cicada is? Here's a pic.
Its a bug that comes out of the ground every 7, 13 or 17 years, and they have some that come out every year too. There are several different varieties. Anyway, they come out of the ground climb up trees and spend their entire day screaming (their mating call, many call it singing), they find another cicada to mate with, they lay eggs in trees and die. The eggs then hatch, the larva fall to the ground and bury themselves in the ground beneath the trees only to emerge in another 7, 13, or 17 years depending on the variety. The ones that are here this year are the 13 year cicadas. Their parents were here in 1998, and I remember that too. It was a horrible horrible summer. I honestly think it was because we had all different varieties out at the same time, but I have no way to confirm that. It seemed like they swarmed you much more last time, but I don't know
Basically they serve no purpose. They don't propagate any plants, they don't fertilize anything, they don't do a thing for the environment except literally freak people out!!! I found out today that they are blind. They are so big and heavy that they literally can't hardly fly, they practically jump out of the trees and fly until they eventually make it to the ground. They are attracted to anything that makes noise, and they hurt when they hit because these things are huge, and they will hit you, since they can't see you. DISGUSTING!!!
Thank goodness they are only out for about 6 weeks but that's 6 weeks longer than they should be if you ask me. People literally freak out about these things, including me. They have people around here that take off work, they take leaves of absence, sick days, and don't come out of the house. That's me by the way...not the taking a leave of absence, but the not leaving the house. Well I take that back, if I do leave, its early early morning, or late in the afternoon because they are mainly only out during the middle of the day when it is hot outside. They are so loud that even if you have all your windows closed you can still hear them from inside the house or car, and there are times outside that they are so loud that you can't hear someone else in a conversation.
So far we are on week 4 of our invasion. Hopefully only 2 more to go. I know that we will still have to deal with the ones that come out every year, but those are OK with me, they don't come in swarms and you will only see about 1 every year, and those are the big ones too, about 2-3 inches long. YUCK (these are only about 1-2 inches)!!!
Anyways so this morning I was outside trying to feed a little bird that had fallen out of its nest yesterday, and a cicada landed on my back. (I had back surgery several years ago, so my back is pretty much numb)I did not know this. It wasn't screaming, I had no clue it was there. So anyway, i finished trying to feed the bird, and came inside and sat on the couch to play on the computer for a while before starting my chores. Thats when I heard it. The dreaded screaming noise. It was super loud and right near my ear. I hoped and prayed that the back door was open and there was one on the screen, but no such luck. I felt all up and down my back, nothing, in my hair, nothing, looked at my legs and on the couch and floor and on the clothes that are hanging to dry in the doorway, nothing. Then I went to brush off my sides. Of course it started screaming again, I started screaming (like blood curdling freak out the neighbors so they call the cops without first checking on you kind of a scream)
This thing took off flying across the living room and landed on the back of the loveseat. I'm still freaking out at this point, I start looking for, searching for anything thats out and within reach that I can use for a bug spray that may kill it. Then I think of a fly swatter thats in the kitchen. I grab it, walk to the loveseat, and smack the crap out of that sucker. I hit this thing so hard that I bent the handle of my swatter....and it still wasn't dead!! So I hit it over and over and over. Then I put a glass over it LOL. So yes, at this very moment in my living room my couch is pulled away from the wall and there is a glass upside down on the floor covering a cicada, you know, just in case it isn't dead) and it will all remain there till Richard can come home and get this thing outside.
OMG, I have completely grossed myself out talking about these things. Probably you too, which is understandable. So now that I have gone completely creepy, here are a couple of videos that I found that have their screams so you can maybe understand just a little about what most of us Southerners are dealing with right about now. Enjoy!!!
Cicadas in Nashville
Cicada sounds
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