Huge 'alien-like' insect to emerge from 17-year slumber this year

A potentially destructive insect that resembles an alien is expected to appear in the US after 17 years and cause widespread disruptions across several states, experts have cautioned.

Approximately nine years have passed since the "Brood XIV" cicadas finished their last life cycle, but they are now emerging from their subterranean habitats and are scheduled to rapidly spread through 13 states by the coming spring.

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The timing of their emergence can be unpredictable but typically starts when the ground warms up to 18 degrees Celsius, with April and June being the usual months for this process in most locations.

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Newberry County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina received such a high volume of calls that they issued a statement to calm down residents about the creatures.

They have had numerous complaints about a noise in the air that resembles a siren, a whine, or a roar, the sheriff's office noted in April.

The sound you hear is caused by cicadas. Cicadas are a large family of insects which occur every spring. Their nymphs have spent 13-17 years underground and have now emerged.

'Although to many, the noise can be annoying, it does not pose a threat to humans or pets unfortunately, it's just the sounds of nature.'

When they finally resurface after spending more than a decade underground, nursing themselves on tree root fluids, the periodic cicadas do have a positive impact on the ecosystem.

The US Environmental Protection Agency noted that cicadas serve as a nutrient-rich food source for various birds and predators. Furthermore, the underground burrows created by the young cicadas, known as nymphs, aerate lawns and enhance water filtration to the ground as they feed on sap.

Periodical cicadas are characterized by their black bodies, accompanied by distinctive red eyes, and they emerge in massive numbers, in contrast to the annual cicadas, which are greenish-brown and appear in smaller groups each year.

A swarm of 13-17 year cicadas emerges, called Brood 14, a type approximately two inches in size, is the second-largest species this year, according to the University of Connecticut.

After they come out, cicadas remain active for a duration of about four to six weeks before disappearing as suddenly as they appeared. Although they are known for their loud noise, they are relatively non-aggressive.

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Even their urine is harmless - in contrast to mammal urine, which is almost entirely composed of water. 'You have no reason to worry, it's not like human urine. It's simply water,' Bhamla noted.

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For the first time since the nineteenth century, two distinct generations of cicadas have simultaneously emerged across more than a dozen states, pairing up and laying millions of eggs.

Dr. Gene Kritsky, a professor, entomologist, and cicada specialist at Mount St. Joseph University, stated: 'This dual emergence is a once-in-two-or-three-lifetime event.

'This rare phenomenon occurs 12 times in every 221 years, and this is the first time since 1803 that these broods are emerging simultaneously.'

There are over 3,000 known species of cicadas, categorised into 15 main 'broods', each thriving in distinct geographic regions.

What sets these creatures apart is their remarkable ability to harden their external skeletons, a process that takes approximately five days, and then shed them, allowing them to take flight.

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