the male insects' droning song for a police siren. because of my hearing disadvantages, i don't put my hearing aids in when i come out into the garden, otherwise i get the whole sound magnified. the mass emergence and its timing is all part of a clever survival strategy to evade predators. then the metamorphosis from nymph to adult happens relatively quickly. so here we have a fully—grown female that's now ready to mate and lay her eggs. she'll only live four to six weeks, though, after being underground for 17 years. this is when they are most vulnerable, right here, because their body is so soft. it's a magical time for entomologist drjessica ware, whose16—year—old daughter wasn't even alive the last time she saw these insects. the world was a very different place back then. george bush was president, and facebook was just launched. you know, a lot of people, for centuries, have been calling these things locusts. but they're the opposite of locusts.