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SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Another cicada invasion is imminent.
Billions of the noisy insects are emerging from the ground in parts of the Eastern United States, including Georgia.
The screaming noise they make is part of their mating ritual.
If you’re wondering why they only come out every 17 years, it has something to do with the temperature. When the ground they live under — not hibernate in, as many believe — warms to 64 degrees, they come out again. That’s why we see cicadas more than once a year. They 17-year life cycle depends on when they burrow under the ground in the first place.
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Periodical cicada nymphs and adults are seen on the underside of a begonia plant after a heavy rain, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)https://epix.ap.org/# -
An adult periodical cicada, shortly after shedding its nymphal skin, climbs up iris leaves, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada crawls on an iris flower, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada is silhouetted as it flies from a mushroom top on Friday, May 16, 2025, in Loveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A periodical cicada flies from a branch of an American Sweetgum tree in the Valley View Nature Preserve, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Milford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
The veins of an adult periodical cicada’s translucent wings are illuminated shortly after shedding its nymphal skin, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A and periodical cicada flies to a branch of an American Sweetgum tree in the Valley View Nature Preserve, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Milford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
Periodical cicada nymphs climb the trunk of a maple tree to shed their nymphal skins after a heavy rain, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A periodical cicada nymph climbs to the end of a fern frond, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
Periodical cicada nymphs and adults are seen on the underside of a begonia plant after a heavy rain, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada pauses on a twig at Valley View Nature Preserve, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Milford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada, shortly after shedding its nymphal skin, clings to clover on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada crawls on an iris flower, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
The veins of an adult periodical cicada’s translucent wings are illuminated shortly after shedding its nymphal skin after a heavy rain, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A periodical cicada flies up from the grass pursued by a cardinal, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada, shortly after shedding its nymphal skin, climbs up the leaves of an iris flower, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada, shortly after shedding its nymphal skin, clings to iris leaves, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A female bluebird picks a periodical cicada from the grass, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A male bluebird picks a periodical cicada nymph from the grass, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada, in the process of shedding its nymphal skin, is seen on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Cincinnati. There are two large compound eyes, which are used to visually perceive the world around them, and three small, jewel-like, simple eyes called ocelli center. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A and periodical cicada flies to a branch of an American Sweetgum tree in the Valley View Nature Preserve, Monday, May 26, 2025, in Milford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
Periodical cicadas fly and gather on a Eastern Redcedar tree at Valley View Nature Preserve, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Milford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A a muddy-faced periodical cicada nymph climbs the truck of a maple tree after a heavy rain, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Loveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A robin flips a periodical cicada nymph from the grass and into its mouth, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
An adult periodical cicada sheds its nymphal skin and clings to the trunk of a maple tree, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
Periodical cicada nymphs climb mushrooms after a heavy rain, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Loveland, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
Periodical cicada nymphs and adults are silhouetted on the underside of a begonia plant after a heavy rain, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)