FortKnox's Journal: Brood X

Nope, not talking about the StarCraft Zerg.

For those outside the US Midwest, you get to hear about (and possibly see) what I'm about to be in for.

17 Year Cicadas. Today I'll be taking pictures all around my house. Just as it is today. They are expected to start popping out this weekend (I'll be at my parents for Joey's birthday this weekend), so when I get back, I'll take more pictures.

Spooky lookin 'lil buggers, ain't they? I remember when I was 10 and got a glimpse of my first cicadas (I was living in Pennsylvania near some wooded areas)... there are literally billions of them! They don't bite or carry disease... they survive simply by overwelming numbers (something like "Predator Satiation" or something like that... there are so many, the predators can eat and eat and eat, but most still survive). They crawl everywhere and are in everything. I guess you'll get to see it next week. Anyone else about to experience a periodical cicada outbreak?

might catch the southern tip

[Em Emalb]

of the swarm.

We'll see. The wife is freaking out about it.

I'm figuring all the lil critters around the house and garage are gonna have fun.

The highways is what I remember growing up.

Nasty. Dead cicadas EVERYWHERE.

Yuck.

for sure

[blinder]

this'll be my first experience with these things. Living in NorthWestern PA, then Upstate NY (like way Upstate -- Syracuse) -- we didn't have 'em. Now, in Baltimore Maryland... we are expecting them.

I'm kinda fascinated by this -- its crazy to think that these things live for 17 years underground... crazy. Its like something out of Alien... but... I think I need to invest in a car cover tho... keep the little bastards off of Lola.

Not here

[Safety Cap]

The advanced units of our love-bug [floridaenvironment.com] invasion started arriving in force last weekend. Things'll only get worse from here on out.

Visit Cave CIty, KY

[bofkentucky]

...they'll be here, I'll be retreating to the caves to wait them out though.

yep

[mekkab]

I've got some nice mature tree-cover so I expect to be in the thick of BROOD-X. I wonder how my indoor-only cats will react?!

My wife is already grossed out and I don't think any nymphs have sprung.

I wonder if any will get into the foundation of our new house? That'll be pretty hysterical. "Beware, when you enter our house! It was built on the site of a mass grave for BROOD X!." We'll have cicada ghosts chirping in our heating ducts in the night!*

*(that actually happened in our old apartment. The lil'

in eastern PA

[trmj]

We get these lil buggers every year. Not in huge massive numbers like the 17-year guys, but every year we have enough to get annoyed at.

Not really a big deal though, the most annoying part is they are loud at twilight.

Re:in eastern PA

[Cy Guy]

We get these lil buggers every year. Not in huge massive numbers like the 17-year guys, but every year we have enough to get annoyed at.

Oh yeah, we get those here (in MD - outside DC) as well - but in the hot part of summer. I think my cats will be totally psyched they love huntingt the few we do get every summer.

BTW - I live in Hyattsville and I saw the first discarded exoskeleton from a cicada nymph yesterday - so it shouldn't be long at all now.

Magicicada,

[mekkab]

I love how they're called Magicicada, featuring 17 year MagicGate technology! They're like MAGIC!

The message brought to you by BROOD-X:go ahead, fuck with us. We'll make more.

I remember the last time

[SiliconJesus]

But barely - I was 11 then. All I remember is that they go CRUNCHY CRUNCHY under your feet EVERYWHERE. They're in the grass, on the road, on the sidewalk. I also remember there being accidents where they were in the road, because when you slam the brakes on Cicada, it has a wet leaf effect. I'm also in the Baltimore region, and I'm seriously not looking forward to this.

Scariest quote:

[SolemnDragon]

"Be warned that if your lawn mower or weed whacker makes the same sound, you may find yourself more popular among the female cicada population than you want to be."

central ohio will have its share

[subgeek]

i remember as a child i was fascinated by them, but the adults were mostly annoyed.

Ahh!

[metlin]

Now, *that* is why you should live in the heart of nice big cities. You trade insect and pollen pollution for smoke and dust ;-)

Seriously, though - do these things affect any cities in the midwest? My room mate is from Arkansas and he says Fayetwille had a lot of these things that would come by around the onset of summer.

always have 'em

[dubiousdave]

Here in Texas, cicada song is one of the signs of summer, but I'm not aware of any big cicada cycles. It may be because of that "when the soil temperatures climb above 65" thing. I'm not sure if ours gets below 65.

Re:always have 'em

[FortKnox]

you have cicadas... there are a lot of regular cicada cycles, but the midwest periodical ones (17 year ones) are like a plague. BILLIONS of them.

Cicadas=AOL CDs

[perfessor multigeek]

This is about the tenth cicada comment I've seen and somehow it just popped into my head.

Cicadas are nature's equivalent of AOL CDs.

Which brings up the obvious prank of infesting the new Time/Warner/AOL heaquarters with cicadas. On one hand, very appealing (especially since it's walking distance from my apartment and I'ld get to watch them freak out). On the other hand, very disturbing since, well, they're walking distance from my apartment and some of them would certainly end up here.

And even worse, n