Cicadas are primarily a northeastern insect, but they can be found in areas as far south as the Carolinas and as far west as Michigan, depending on the brood. Different types of cicadas spend different amounts of time underground (not hibernating, just living underground). Some broods come above ground every year - we used to get cicadas every year when I lived on Long Island - and some (like Brood X, or Brood 10) stay underground for a long time before surfacing to mate. Brood X is a HUGE brood of cicadas - we're talking billions of them with as many as 1 million per acre - that is on a 17-year cycle.
Cicadas as a rule tend to be loud when they are mating, and it goes on constantly for about 5 or 6 weeks. It's hard to describe the sound - sort of a high-pitched whirring noise, like a cricket on steroids. Only louder. Much louder. Depending on how many there are in the area, the sound can reach levels as high as 100 decibels. Constantly. For 5 or 6 weeks. This is not like coming to D.C. to see the cherry blossoms in the spring - no one in their right mind is going to be making plans to travel and see the cicadas.
And they are EVERYWHERE. This happened yesterday on CNN; watch the video in the article:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/28/cicada-cnn-reporter-manu-raju-creepy-crawly |
