Cicada Boom In US, Once In 17 Year Event As Brood X Emerge In Billions To Mate: All About It

A natural spectacle has taken place across much of the United States, one that is not found anywhere else in the world. Billions of cicadas that have spent years patiently growing in complete darkness have finally emerged, perfectly in sync, for a raucous party in the sun. It's been 17 years & the periodical insects, also known as Brood X, are back. When the world last glimpsed the cicadas, Facebook was brand new, theaters were showing "Spider-Man 2," and the 2004 Summer Olympics were underway. Since then, they've been underground, eating. Beginning in late April or early May, once the ground is warm enough, billions of Brood X cicadas are seen across a dozen states, stretching from Illinois to the west, Georgia to the south & New York to the northeast. The young cicadas, called "nymphs," claw their way out of the ground and climb up to shed their skins one last time and transform into adults. They will have only a few weeks to sing, mate and begin the cycle again. There are seven species of North American periodical cicadas, all in the genus Magicicada. Four species live on a 13-year cycle, and three for 17 years. This year's emergence is a group containing all three 17-year species. Brood X, so named because it was the 10th in an arbitrary naming system designed in 1898 by the entomologist Charles Lester Marlatt. However, the group's other name, The Great Eastern Brood, is far more descriptive. Watch the video to know more.