Cicadas Cicadas Cicadas! From the Epicenter!

Ted Summey · May 28, 2013

Brood II has emerged here! No joke by the gazillions! These things are so loud I hear then over my tractor and lawn mower! I hear them in the house! I've had to stop and listen to make sure I'm not heard a bearing going bad on the tractor, lawn mower, heat pump but every time it is those orange eyed demon cicadas!

One place here on the farm there was nearly one on every stalk of grass! The last time they were around back in 1996, we sat on the deck and shot them with shot guns and #9 shells.

One consolation is the chickens love them! I just don't have enough chickens to make a dent!

They are testing the limits of some people's medication!

The photo shows what it looked like the other morning.

I did not take the photo, it is from this story about Cicadas in Stokes County where I live. Here is the link. 17-year-old cicadas are kicking off 'Swarmageddon' in North Carolina - Cosmic Log

Loadstar · May 28, 2013

I remember I was working at an aluminum mill and a brood like that was out. They had a massive swamp cooler and it was sucking them in by the millions. I can't imagine how that thing looked or smelled on the inside a week later. I also collected as many as I could and released them into my coworkers vehicle

J F · May 28, 2013

Wow! I've been reading about it in the news, but I don't remember how long the "invasion" will last. Will it be pretty short-lived?

Ted Summey · May 28, 2013

Jay, it has already been too long! We've been hearing them for two weeks but the greatest number seem to have emerged this weekend! I don't remember how long they sang the last time - it was 17 years ago after all,

J F · May 28, 2013

:laughing: Yeah, I can imagine so. Any way to box 'em up and sell to countries that eat bugs?

J F · May 28, 2013

I'll be Andrew Zimmern would chow down on 'em.

Ted Summey · May 28, 2013

They say they taste like shrimp! I don't intend to find out!

J F · May 28, 2013

Chicken! (in a couple of different ways :laughing

J F · May 28, 2013

I hope you can get some pics, Ted. If we don't hear from you, we'll know you ended up as cicada food.

dmccarty · May 28, 2013

They have not show up in my area in any numbers. I thought I heard some the other day and I saw some badly eaten leaves that look like the last batch of Cicada's we had a few years ago but no sounds since then. I did see a bird chasing a grasshopper looking bug but I could not get a good look at the insect. I hope we get them, I love the sound and it so hard to believe that loud noise is from a bunch of little bugs.

Later,
Dan