This isn't one of THOSE years for cicadas in Iowa, where millions — maybe billions — of the bugs emerge after 17 years underground.
But cicadas in Brood X, one of the largest broods of periodical cicadas, are coming to the surface soon in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and eastern Tennessee, and some may stray as far west as Iowa.
So now's a good time to remind yourself that the bugs may be big, loud and annoying, but they're not dangerous.
Here are common myths about cicadas, debunked.
Myth: Cicadas are locusts
When a mass of cicadas shows up outside their home almost as if overnight, some people associate the emergence, much like the Biblical plague of locusts, with a bad omen.