A new population of pests is on its way to the east coast, and no, it's not aliens. According to UPI, billions of cicadas will crawl out of the ground and mate some time between mid-April and May.
The good news is that the 17-year cicadas (so named because they only come out to mate every 17 years) are harmless to trees and humans. And, thankfully, the cicadas pose no threat to our homes, only to our eardrums.
Similar to the sounds that one might hear on the Lower East Side on a Saturday night, the male insects will make a very distinctive sound as they look to, well, get it on. "Males produce this species-specific noise with vibrating membranes on their abdomens," says National Geographic.
But is that really such a bad thing? One editor likened the sound to a veritable "orchestra in your backyard." We have to admit that she's right -- the sound is a far cry from the usual ambulance sirens and honking cars that city-dwellers are used to hearing. In fact, it truly is the sound of love, since it's the sound of billions of bugs mating. Awwww.
We're not the only ones who kinda like the buzz -- Washington D.C. residents took to throwing cicada parties when the critters descended upon their fair city back in 2004.
People have gone to even more extreme lengths to deal with the infestation and are roasting the bugs for a high-protein snack. (What people will do to avoid carbs!) If that is too much for you, consider just taking inspiration from the insects to create a buggy menu (grasshopper pie, anyone?).
What do you think? Does the sound remind you of summer? Or do you find it creepy?
Whatever the case, the cicadas will be gone after an intense month of mating (insert joke here).
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