Billions of cicadas are expected to swarm the East Coast this spring. On April 6, Mail Online reported that it has been nearly two decades since this particular species called "Brood II" made an appearance -- which is generally the amount of time they spend underground before coming out to play, so to speak.
"The cicadas go through five stages underground feeding on tree bark and roots before they reappear above the surface. The bugs will begin to arrive throughout several states to breed as the ground warms to 64 degrees and hotter," Mail Online reports. New Jersey is one of the states expected to see incredible amounts of these bugs.
Billions of cicadas will be very loud -- they have been compared to the rumbling of a subway train! -- but they won't be around for too long. After about a month they will go back underground and stay there for another 17 years or so. As far as anything else humans should be concerned about, there isn't much. They don't bite and they don't affect humans or trees according to entomologists (via Mail Online).
Cicadas range in size -- some are no bigger than a bee and others are the size of pine bugs (commonly known as "stink bugs"). Oh, and they aren't pretty either. Most people aren't too excited to see them all -- but loads of them are coming.
Billions of cicadas are expected in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. They should be gone by June.
© Effie Orfanides 2013
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