Cicadas: Fast facts and Lifecycle
This summer, people living all over the North East and Mid Atlantic Regions of the US will be experiencing a once in a lifetime phenomenon: the emergence of the “Brood X” cicadas. These creatures may scare you, but they actually have a very interesting life cycle that brings them to this point.
Before diving into the fascinating life cycle of a Cicada, first, let's define some key facts about these insects. These cicadas emerge from their homes once every 17 years, although scientists originally thought that they emerged once every 10 years, hence the name Brood X. Additionally, cicadas don’t bite, but some people are allergic to cicadas, due to the limited exposure. Cicadas usually come up to the surface to mate with other male/female cicadas, and are identifiable by their raucous and loud mating call. Now that the basic facts about a cicada have been defined, it’s time to dive into their life cycle
A cicada begins its life as a nymph cicada, a term often used for a cicada that is not just hatched but has not come of age to become an adult cicada. Throughout these 17 years, they live deep underground, and their entire life, they work on building a tunnel to the surface. They usually live off of xylem, a fluid from plants that they obtain using their beak. About a month before they come above ground, they finish the tunnel they have been working on for over 16 years and begin to molt for the final time. During this time, they slowly make their way up the tunnel, until they usually emerge during a cool, humid day. This memorial day weekend was plagued by rain and cool temperatures, so many people all over the region were reporting the emergence of the Brood X cicadas.
Post emergence, they begin to molt for the final time on the surface, and during this time, they are still the brownish color that they were as a nymph. However, over the span of a few days, they develop a bluish black color that can be seen here. Additionally, they gain the distinctive red eyes of a periodic cicada, which separate them from the much less common yearly cicada. However, the adult cicada is a very tasty snack for dogs, birds, and other small animals, so it must take precaution to stay safe. Finally, the cicadas have entered adulthood, and they have reached their primary goal : mating.
The primary goal throughout a cicada's life is to mate, and their determination to complete this one goal is truly unrivaled. After this point, males and females live very different lives. Males tend to send out mating songs using a part of their body called a tymbal. This can be for many reasons, such as an alarm call, but most commonly, the males produce a mating call. Once a female hears a mating call, it will signal that it is ready to mate through a small flick of the wing. However, once this occurs, many other male cicadas try to drown out the mating call of the original male to mate with the female, which leads to very loud and fierce competition between the cicadas. Scientists actually tried to combat this loud noise with a fungus; but this actually made the mating calls even louder! After a male has successfully attracted a female, he will touch his forelegs to the female, and if the female is receptive, they will begin to mate. Males are able to mate many times, but females are able to mate only once. Finally, the female lays about 6-10 eggs in a tree, and after hatching, they will be burrowed deep underground. Unfortunately, after this point, the adult cicada’s life comes to a sad end, with them dying after 2-4 weeks of coming to the surface, and they are most commonly used as a fertilizer for plants. After this point, the life cycle begins yet again, with the amount of cicadas increasing at an exponential rate every 17 years.
Alas, this phenomenon is one of the most unique to occur anywhere, and it is a pleasure watching and analyzing these cicada’s throughout their life. Personally, I witnessed the cicadas for the first time today, and was both astonished at their size and fascinated by the way that they traveled around a forest. These creatures are some of the most fascinating and do not come out very often, so I encourage you to try to go outside and look at some of these beautiful creatures.