Cicadas! They're Everywhere! They're everywhere

[pixelwit]

Well, truth be told, I don't really know if they're everywhere but they certainly are in Pennsylvania. Are they a global occurrence or just a regional type thing. Have you heard or seen them? For some reason they remind me of Mothra (not that I'm really sure what Mothra looked like) but they have big red/orange eyes and wings with thick vein-like structures. I think it's has to do with the way the wings look like they're made of plastic and the fact that the cicadas seem to fly with the same poor agility as Mothra.

Anyway, what I really want to know about is the sound they make. The last time (17 years ago) I heard these things I could swear they made this loud annoying sound like (excuse my sound typing skills) "Reeeeeet reeeeeeet reeeet reet reet reet" kind of like a weed whacker or something. But now I can't hear any individual over another and they all sound miles away (even though I can plainly see plenty of them buzzing around the yard) . So rather than hearing a few loud noisy bugs I've been hearing this long continuous and ominous buzz of sorts. It reminds me of the sounds flying saucers make in old movies (War of the Worlds maybe?).

Anyway, just curious to find out what anyone else might know about these bugs.

P.S. One landed on me and YES, I did freak out.

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[tg]

only thing i know about them, is that we had hoards of them when i was living in georgia (i was 7 years old
any way, once they shed their skins/skeletons, we went around and picked the shells off of the trees and collected them in 5# coffee cans. we had tons of them. what fun. especially dumping the cans over girls heads.
hehhehheh.

[CessilForever]

dont have them here, but i did just have to read a poem about them in school. how facinating...

[pixelwit]

Awwwww TG... You're a hopeless romantic at heart ay? Nothing says "I think you're cute" like a coffee can of dead bug skins over a girl's head. You charmer you. ;) So cicadas are in Georgia but not Oregon then?

Hi CessilForever. Is England completely free of cicadas or are they just not where you are?

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[Colin Campbell]

They're regional I'm quite sure, we never get them here. Of course, theres pest infestations all over the world, not sure about cicadas though :) I hear they're really bad... ugh, glad I don't need to bother with them.

[CessilForever]

As far as i know, you dont get them anywhere here in england. its a pity really, they sound like fun..

[snapple]

Cicadas don't fly when their body temperature is below 72° F.

So turn your back yard into a giant fridge.

Regards, Snapple :)

[pixelwit]

So far I haven't had any feedback related to the noise they make. But Snapple's comment may help explain why they've quieted down a bit since the temperature has recently dropped to a more reasonable 70-75 degrees.

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[tg]

nope none in the great northwest.

[CyanBlue]

Alot in MD/VA area... Lots of them try to kill me while I am driving along the near mountain area... Not sure how many cicada is needed to break the windshield though... :)

As for the sound... I can't really answer the correct one, but the one that I hear is whole lot soothing that I heard when I was in Korea... That I can tell... :)

[pixelwit]

Suicide Cicadas! Look out! :D

So we've pretty much got the Northeast covered with the critters. And Korea too it seems.

I understand what you mean by "soothing". Not exactly the word I'd pick to describe the sound of a billion bugs swarming and getting ready to eat my liver ;) but other than that it's pretty accurate. :) They almost sound like a steady wind or breeze.

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[CyanBlue]

Haha... I am still sticking to the 'soothing' because they were not trying to eat me alive... Um... Probably they did if they were able to break the windshile of my car... Till then, soothing it is...

I just finished vacuuming the house and my wife opened up the whole window so that all the stinky smell coud go away... Guess what... I hear soothing buzzing sound all over... (Yeah... Obviously I didn't notice it before, stupid me...) :)

[pixelwit]

Haha... I am still sticking to the 'soothing' because they were not trying to eat me alive... Um... Probably they did if they were able to break the windshile of my car... Till then, soothing it is...

But by then it will be too late, the horrible carnivorous monsters will have eaten you whole. ;) They have big red eyes to find you, big scaly wings to carry you off to their lair, 3 inch fangs to suck your blood and clawed talons to rip your flesh to shreds. They're killers I tell ya. Killers!

Okay, maybe not. But I still think they're out to get me. ;) All it takes is one landing on the back of your neck to change your mind. :)

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[CyanBlue]

Um... Are you sure that's cicada??? That dounds pretty much like the one that I saw in 'The Fly' long long time ago... :D