MORGANTOWN — Spending 17 years underground is bound to leave any insect eager to stretch its wings, and billions of Brood X periodical cicadas are preparing to do just that.
“Although there are definitely millions of cicadas per acre in the other broods when they emerge, they don’t cover quite the amount of real estate that Brood X covers,” said Matt Kasson, associate professor of forest pathology and mycology.
The emergence will occur throughout at least 15 states, but historically has covered up to 18 states. Epicenters for the emergence will likely be near the District of Columbia, Indiana and near Knoxville, Tenn.
Those residing in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle should also be prepared for a visit from the cicadas in the coming weeks, maybe with a pair of earplugs just in case.
“We kind of make a big deal out of them, because they kind of interfere with our day-to-day spring activities,” Kasson said. “We want to be outside on our decks and cooking and barbecuing, and they’re very loud.”
No need to fear Brood X
The noise might make these insects unwelcome neighbors, but they pose no threat or danger to humans.
A cicada’s mouth is not structured to bite, and consists of a straw-like tongue used for feeding on plant sap. A female cicada may appear as if it has a large stinger on its backside; however, this is actually an ovipositor used for laying eggs in woody tissue.
“It may be a little scary to be in the presence of so many large, awkward, clumsy insects,” Kasson said. “But, they pose no risk or harm to you, unless you’re a small tree.”
In fact, humans pose much more of a risk to cicadas than they do humans.
Kasson said 20 broods are known and recorded, but some of those broods have gone extinct. One cause of extinction can be attributed to land development. Cicadas rely on sap to survive underground, and if those trees and plants are destroyed, it cuts off its food supply.
Temperature extremes from climate change have also played a role in reducing cicada populations, as higher precipitation or droughts can impact the health of plants the cicadas feed on.
The emergence of billions of cicadas all together might be intimidating, but for the cicadas, this is a survival tactic. When cicadas arise, birds, reptiles, rodents and more feed on these insects, but strength in numbers makes it impossible for predators to wipe them out.
Those that survive lay eggs in tree branches, and a new life cycle begins.
Taking advantage of emergence
Cicadas’ burrowing habits are fascinating, but also make them more difficult to study in a controlled environment.
“A lot of insects we want to study, we rear in the lab,” Kasson said. “You can’t do that with a 17-year animal. It’s just not something that’s able to be reared successfully in the lab to study in that way.”
One question Kasson said is still unanswered is how a cicada’s movement dynamics operate. If a plant a cicada feeds on dies, it is unclear if a cicada is able to simply move to a new plant or how far a cicada could travel if that were to occur.
Although cicadas are difficult to study, it doesn’t take being a researcher in a lab to help record the insect populations.
Cicadas are safe to pick up and hold, and once it’s time to let them go, simply toss them up in the air and watch them fly away. Through applications such as iNaturalist and Cicada Safari, anyone with a smartphone can record sightings of these insects.
“This may seem kind of silly, because who cares if you saw a cicada one time,” said Brian Lovett, postdoctoral researcher at WVU. “But, scientists care.”
Recording sightings helps researchers to know the locations of where cicadas are emerging, as well as if its population is increasing or declining.
Time to take advantage of the emergence is limited. Once it begins around May, it will be active for about six weeks. Those who miss out on witnessing Brood X will have to wait until 2038 for the next opportunity.
Tweet @DominionPostWV
