Trillions of cicadas will soon emerge after 17 years underground throughout the United States.
The insects will come out within the next few days to two weeks, but don’t panic — cicadas aren’t dangerous to humans.
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They mainly damage young trees, which can be netted to keep the pests away, said Gene Kritsky, an entomologist at Mount St. Joseph University.
They don’t bite humans, Elizabeth Barnes, an exotic forest pest educator at Purdue University, told the Des Moines Register.
In small quantities, ingestion of the bugs will not be harmful to pets, but large quantities could make them vomit, she added.
The insects will likely appear in 15 states, from Indiana to Georgia to New York. An application called Cicada Safari will allow people to map sightings of the bug.
The brood will first emerge and make its way up trees to mate.
“Once in the treetops, hey, it’s all going to be about romance,” said Michael Raupp, an entomologist at the University of Maryland. “It’s only the males that sing. It’s going to be a big boy band up there as the males try to woo those females, try to convince that special someone that she should be the mother of his nymphs.”
After the female cicadas lay their eggs in the trees, it will be “over in a matter of weeks,” Raupp added.
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The older cicadas will fall to the ground, and the baby cicadas will burrow into the soil, not to be seen for another 17 years.
“This is a feel-good story, folks. It really is, and it’s in a year we need more,” said John Cooley, an entomologist for the University of Connecticut. “When they come out, it’s a great sign that forests are in good shape. All is as it is supposed to be.”
