Is the Sound of Cicadas Annoying or Relaxing?
Listen to the deafening sound of trillions of cicadas finally emerging from the ground in Maryland for the first time in 17 years. Wildlife fans have been eagerly anticipating the mass re-emergence of Brood X, a colossal group of the winged insects last seen in 2004. The bugsnare famously loud and the calls of just one group of males can reach a cacophonous 90 decibels, which is about the same sound level as a motorcycle or an airplane approaching for landing. This rare species of cicada spends almost 20 years buried under the earth before crawling out from their underground tunnels when soil temperatures reach 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit. So far, large groups of adult cicadas have already been spotted in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia and Washington D.C. But the bugs are not here to stay. They spend only a few short weeks above ground with the sole mission of finding a mate, making babies and dying. After 17 years under the soil, the insects crawl out of the earth, immediately find a tree and shed their hard exoskeleton. *Videos filmed 1st June 2021.