Cicadas' weird brief time in the sun

Imagine you have lived underground your entire life. After years burrowed in the Earth, you emerge from the depths of soil to see the sun for the first time. For six weeks you explore the world, find a mate and reproduce. At the end of that time, your offspring repeat the cycle, going underground to grow while you stay outdoors for the rest of your life.

Not a bad deal, right?

This is the life cycle of the Brood XIX and Brood XII cicadas, two gigantic broods of bugs set for a rare dual-emergence this year (they've been underground since 2011 and 2007, respectively!). These bugs have been invisible for more than a decade and are getting ready to emerge, bringing their complex life system and cacophonous sounds to Americans nationwide.

👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). Happy Mother's Day to all the moms reading! Thank you for taking the time out of your special day to read Your Week (and maybe you can enjoy learning about the cicadas with your kids!). This week, we talk with Paste BN Science Reporter Elizabeth Weise about the fascinating cicada invasion expected this year.

But first, don't miss these stories made possible by your Paste BN subscription:

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Bugs can be fun, just ask a science reporter why

Remember just a few weeks ago when the nation gazed at the sky, donning glasses to view the eclipse? Paste BN Science Reporter Elizabeth Weise likens the "amazing cosmic event" to the "incredible natural phenomenon" of cicadas. There are 16 broods of cicadas across the U.S., in addition to annual broods that come out in smaller numbers. The curiosity and amusement of these little insects burrowing, growing and emerging should inspire awe, she said.

"If you think about the glory of nature, this is one of those things," she said. "Think of how many things in the world disappear to undergo metamorphosis, and then 17 years later they come up and there are trillions of them everywhere and then six weeks later they're gone!"

Here for a good time, not a long time

Don't let the bug part freak you out, Weise says. These critters don't bite, sting, or cause any other kind of harm to humans. Despite their oddball looks, these bugs are here for a good time, not a long time. Once the ground hits 64 degrees, they crawl out of their hiding spots to mate, which explains the loud sound the broods make as male bugs call out to female bugs. As they reproduce, their nymph-like offspring follow their parents' footsteps: Crawling deep into the Earth to eat nutrients from trees and grow. The bugs use just enough sustenance from trees to live without being harmful to the roots.

One threat faces this unique critter population: human development. One scientist Weise interviewed had waited nearly 17 years for a brood to emerge only to see a parking lot paved on top of the sleeping bugs. They never emerged.

"To be a cicada scientist, you have to be really patient," Weise said of the researchers waiting to study this year's broods, which have been burrowed for 13 and 17 years, respectively.

How to be a citizen scientist

Weise recommends reading Paste BN's comprehensive cicada coverage – and to watch out for misinformation on TikTok and other platforms claiming the bugs aren't as safe as they are. She also recommends joining the Cicada Safari to help researchers track where the bugs are coming up in your area.

But if these bugs don't seem interesting to you, just think about it the way Weise explains it: "If you were a cicada, your whole life would be underground sucking on a tree root and you'd had this weird brief time in the sun when all you care about is mating — and then you die."

Read more about cicadas from Paste BN

• Are cicadas harmful to dogs? What to know if your dog eats one.
• Cicadas explained for kids with this printable coloring activity.
• Cicadas will soon become a massive, dead and stinky mess. There's a silver lining.
• Busting myths on the harmfulness of these noisy pests.
• Here's what 'Cicadageddon 2024' will sound like, and how long it will last.
• Here's why cicada pee will "rain" down.

Thank you

I'm surprised at how excited I am for the cicadas after speaking with Weise. I hope this newsletter inspired the same awe in you! Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you. 

Best wishes, 

Nicole Fallert