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AUGUSTA, Ga. () – An influx of cicadas is coming this year. How will it affect us?
For the first time in 200 years two different broods of cicadas will emerge at the same time.
“When they emerge, what you’re looking for are they are very dark colored, and they have bright red or orange eyes, “said Camilla Sherman, Assistant Education Director at Phinizy Center for Water Sciences. “This is different from our annuals, which will also be coming out after the periodicals, so they are more green. They are actually bigger, and they have dark eyes.”
“The Great Southern Brood” cicadas emerge every 13 years. Those are the ones we will see in our area. The other brood is the “Northern Illinois Brood” that emerges every 17 years. States further north will see those. Both broods will be emerging along with the annuals, the cicadas we see yearly, causing the cicada season to feel longer.
“They are going to call for a few weeks, but because the annuals come after, it’s going to feel much longer. But honestly, when you hear it, it is hard to mimic, but it’s like a loud drilling sound or like a buzzing,” said Sherman.
Many may fear the mass amounts of Cicadas, though the influx will benefit our ecosystem.
“They do not have a mouth that can bite you. So, if one does land on you, you can just gently brush it off, you can take it to a tree, and there will be nothing bad coming of them interacting with you. They don’t harm our pets. They don’t mess with our gardens. They generally are beneficial because they are a really great food for all different types of animals,” said Sherman.
So don’t worry—these little guys cause no harm. We last saw this type of emergence in the early 1800s, and it will happen again in 2245.
