Much of the eastern United States is buzzing. The sound of periodical cicadas is becoming pervasive with the emergence of Brood X (Ten), or the Great Eastern Brood, which emerges every 17 years.The big, red-eyed insects come above ground after the soil temperature rises above 18 degrees Celsius, ending their long slumber.They are now in Virginia and much of everywhere across a 15-state eastern region in the United States. After spending nearly their entire 17-year lives underground, sipping sap from tree roots, trillions of nymphs are emerging to mate and then die. Cicadas shed their nymph shells as they hang on a tree near Alexandria, Virginia, May 24, 2021. (Photo by Diaa Bekheet)The male cicadas are making all the racket — a mating call produced by vibrating membranes in their abdomens. Their collective symphony approaches a level of 100 decibels — as loud as a motorcycle. The insects do not bite or sting, but many Americans consider them a noisy annoyance they will have to endure for several weeks.
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