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Ridgewood NJ, it’s that time again – across the Eastern U.S., trillions of cicadas are emerging from their underground burrows in what’s being hailed as the largest congregation of these insects since 1803. From the Gulf Coast to Virginia, and from Illinois to the Atlantic, these buzzing creatures are making their presence known. But what does this historic event mean for us?
Continue reading The Great Cicada Emergence: What You Need to Know
photo by Dan Mozgai/cicadamania.com
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, beginning in May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8″ beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence. Back in 2004, people began reporting emergences around May, 13th, but if the weather is warmer, it might start in late April. Some observers suggests Cicadas will emerge after the trees have grown leaves, around the same time Iris flowers bloom.
Continue reading After 17 years cicadas from Brood X are on their way
By Travis M. Andrews April 15
As described in Exodus 10:5, “And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field.”
Flip the aforementioned “they” from locusts to cicadas, and that’s actually a pretty apt description of what residents in some parts of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia will experience next month when the soil warms to 64 degrees and billions of cicadas rise from the ground to mate. Fortunately, cicadas can’t chew so they don’t devour our plants and trees. If they manage to avoid predators long enough they suck up plant sap but not enough to any real damage.
This particular group of insects has a 17-year-life cycle that begins underground and culminates in the air as they swell and swarm and scream and sing, issuing deafening cries as the males desperately seek mates. This current 17-year-cycle, which began in 1999, begins to end next month, reportsCicada Mania.
