Trillions of Brood X Cicada are Expected to Arrive in the US after 17 years of Hibernation

Expect things to get louder than a Trump rally

A colony of Brood X cicadas that had been hibernating for the past 17 years are expected to invade 15 states of the US this year. After forcing themselves to the surface, they will start producing noise of 100 decibels while mating.

The Brood X cicadas can be distinguished by their unique colours. They have orange stripes along their bodies and an orange patch between their eyes. They are expected to arrive around mid-May and will be present till June. Currently, there are 15 broods of the insect hibernating and will start popping up in the eastern and central parts of the country soon enough.

The states that will be swarmed

As per a report by MailOnline, the 15 states that the Brood X cicadas will be swarming are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

This invasion is going to be similar to the last big brood that swarmed several states in 2004. According to the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture, there are two races of periodical cicadas: the 13-year and the 17-year.

The 17-year cicadas are known as the Brood X cicadas and the 13-year ones are called Brood XIX. They last appeared in 2011 and is expected to return in 2024, according to FOX 17 News.

Here’s a video of a previous cicada invasion

How harmful are these cicadas?

The insect is known to be noisy while mating, and can produce enough sound to drown the noise of a passing jet plane. Aside from the noise, they can be pretty harmless, except when they fly into windshields and leaving their dead bodies everywhere. MailOnline has reported that they can cause damage to small or young trees and can bite or sting sometimes as well.

Also read: Netflix’s Fate: The Winx Saga