Billions of Brood X cicadas emerging for first time in 17 years: What to know CNET 2 hrs ago Leslie Katz © Provided by CNET Periodical cicadas emerge from underground in the spring of their 13th or 17th year. Fifteen US states, and Washington, DC, are about to see a whole lot of them. Getty Images
Parts of the eastern United States are about to witness a remarkable natural spectacle: billions of cicadas tunneling out from their underground homes for the first time in 17 years to fill outdoor spaces and share their inescapably loud mating calls.
Periodical cicadas, as they re known, are different than annual cicadas. They spend almost their whole lives a foot or two underground, living on sap from tree roots. Then, in the spring of their 13th or 17th year, depending on the type, mature cicada nymphs emerge for a brief adult stage, synchronously and in huge numbers. Really huge numbers.
Cicada forecast: Expect insects to emerge in early to mid-May
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Billions of bugs: Meet the cicada chasers trailing Brood X
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Billions of bugs: Meet the cicada chasers trailing Brood X CNET 2 hrs ago © Alex Wong/Getty Images
The red-eyed bugs of Brood X, which will soon emerge by the millions. The cicada chasers are ready.
For Dan Mozgai, a marketing professional from New Jersey, the perfect vacation involves insects. Lots and lots of insects.
They can t be just any random bugs, though. They have to be periodical cicadas.
The critters spend almost their whole lives underground, living on sap from tree roots. Then, in the spring of their 13th or 17th year, depending on the brood, they tunnel out, synchronously and in huge numbers, for a short adult mating frenzy set to the sonorous sound track of the males come-hither calls.