Billions of cicadas to emerge in eastern US
For the past 17 years, cicadas have been tunneling and feeding beneath the soil. During the summertime, they come back to the surface to mate. Cicadas begin to emerge when the soil reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. This year, this group is called Brood X. They call it that because it is going to be the largest group of cicadas. They were supposed to come in late April, but, Scientists don't know the precise reasons behind the cicada schedules, and do not know why they have not arrived yet. Cicadas do not harm animals or humans, they only like to buzz around you. But they do benefit gardens. When the insects emerge from the soil, they create holes that increase aeration and water penetration. Over the cicada life cycle, exoskeletons and dying adults will fall to the ground, breaking down into organic matter and nutrients that feed the soil.
This affects our society as a whole because we’re all going to have to deal with the cicadas. The article informs us more about cicadas and how they harm us in a way. The article tells us what the best way is to avoid them and how to get rid of them without harming plants and animals.
smith, j. r. (2021, May 8). Brood X is almost here. Billions of cicadas to emerge in eastern US. CNN News. Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/16/world/brood-x-cicada-2021-scn/index.html
Interesting, while also terrifying, it seems that this large group of cicadas will be both beneficial in terms of wildlife, but also harmful in terms of productivity and annoyance. I simply hope that there isn't a large effort made to remove them in the near future, as for their legitimate benefits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment above. Although cicadas can be helpful, the bad may out weight the good in this situation. Cicadas will overpopulate and may turn into an issue like the lantern flies did.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I didn't know the soil had to be a certain temperature for them to emerge. This will be the first time in my life that I will see this group of cicadas. This will cause for some people to be annoyed, but I think it will be cool to see.
ReplyDeleteI think this emerging of cicadas will be quite interesting to see, but I also presume that it will become very annoying as well. A cool thing that I have experienced over the past couple of weeks is the ability to see these cicadas emerging firsthand, as everyday I see thousands of tiny holes all over the woods, many of which have visible cicadas in them.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that the temperature of the ground had to be a certain temperature for them to come out. I've heard about them and how loud they are. They come out every 17 years, so I have not been alive yet to see these. A lot of people are saying to watch out for them, but I didn't know they were actually beneficial to gardens.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that cicadas benefited the garden in this way, but the increased population expected for this year kinda grosses me out.
ReplyDeleteWe have all just been so terrified of these coming up that we didn't even look at the benefits, so it is super neat to see they can help the environment! That doesn't make me that much less scared, however.
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