# Cicadas (bugs)



## Giaguara (May 18, 2004)

It is a "bug year". There are cicadas only every 17 years. 







That is how they look, they are quite big bugs.

They live on the Eastern side (map) of USA. The cicadas live on the roots of the trees, and it takes 17 years for them to mature. So every 17 years there are big amounts of these bugs flying around in May - June. This will (hopefully) be the first time for me to see the bugs. Here it is a bit early, so it is still a bit too cold for them to emerge. But they should be out some time in the next week(s).

Has anyone seen them (ever or) this year? Any pictures? I will have to keep the camera with me .. just in case. Everytime I am anywhere .. as you never know when there is something to take pictures of.

These bugs sound very interesting. 
More about them:
http://www.msj.edu/cicada/index.html
http://www.cicadas.info


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## markceltic (May 18, 2004)

Yuck bugs markceltic squish bugs, ugh!


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## Easter (May 19, 2004)

> What do they taste like?
> Periodical cicadas are best eaten when they are still white (teneral), and they taste like cold canned asparagus. Like all insects, cicadas have a good balance of vitamins, are low in fat, and the females are especially high in protein. They are also Atkins friendly!


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## mdnky (May 19, 2004)

Cicadas...I hate it when these things decide to show up for their little 'love' sessions.  You can't walk outside without getting hit at least 20 times in the first minute by the things...like a bunch of drunk flyers they are.  Then there's the constant sound...gets really annoying after a while.  Ruined 1987 I tell you!

Ours should have been here a week or two ago, so they must be on strike.  The suburbs of Cincinnati have seen em, but we've yet to see any here (10 miles southwest, near the airport).  The ground hit 64 deg 3 weeks ago actually, but it was so hard and dry they said we'd need a good rain for them to emerge.  For the past 10 days we've had the rain, still no bugs.


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## brianleahy (May 19, 2004)

They're big, ugly and noisy.  I'm about to turn 36, and this'll be my 3rd cicada year.  I have to admit that I don't remember the first one (1970) too well... but you never forget the sound.  

They're REALLY LOUD and nothing else that sounds like them.  When they hatched in 1987, even though I hadn't heard them since I was 2, I immediately recognized the noise.  "Oh THOSE things," I thought.  "I haven't heard those in a long time..."  

My dad told me they were cicadas, and he was amazed that I remembered the sound.


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## mdnky (May 19, 2004)

I'm just dreading the windshield issue.  When these things go splat, THEY GO *SPLAT*!

You cursed us, BTW.  When I was unloading the groceries from the back of my blazer about 1/2 hour ago I looked down and there's one of those ugly things crawling around in a puddle in our driveway.


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## Giaguara (May 19, 2004)

They are good for the ecosystem here.

I hope they will emerge here BEFORE May 31.


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## eric halfabee (May 19, 2004)

Yeah we get them in NZ too, but they have gone now as its nearly winter here. Oscar my oldest boy likes collecting the dried-out skins *nice. I love the sound of cicadas over summer. Its also fun trying t locate a cicada thats got lost in your home. I don't think we have the amounts that the US have though.

eric


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## Giaguara (May 19, 2004)

the bugs are on the east coast!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3725927.stm



> Racoons, foxes, skunks - and evolutionary biologists - are enjoying the rare feast.
> 
> Dr Jadin, who has actually written a cicada recipe book, admitted: "Chocolate-covered cicadas are my favourite.
> 
> "I am a fan of British chocolate myself - so I have been covering them with Galaxy or Cadburys."



 ::alien::


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## profx (May 20, 2004)

yeah but in New Zealand we get them every year. Still 16 years in the ground but there are 16 generations going all the time - always ready to pounch on your nice quite summer evenings... and mornings for that matter... infact i dont think they ever shut up.  Stupid bugs...


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## Giaguara (May 23, 2004)

Man becomes ill after eating cicadas...


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## nixgeek (May 23, 2004)

Why???  Just...why??....

I haven't seen them in forever, but I remember they were ugly and noisy.  This was when I used to live in Long Island.  I haven't seen many of them in Miami (my current place of residence), but I still remember how much I hated them...


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## brianleahy (May 23, 2004)

I guess sauteeing is ONE way to silence them...


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## markceltic (May 23, 2004)

brianleahy said:
			
		

> I guess sauteeing is ONE way to silence them...


There should be a smilie for a person gagging on here, yuk yuk!


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## Giaguara (May 23, 2004)

markceltic said:
			
		

> There should be a smilie for a person gagging on here, yuk yuk!



how about 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




?


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## markceltic (May 23, 2004)

Oh that's hilarious!


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## Orbit (May 23, 2004)

We get them all the time here in summer 
They are so loud


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## ora (May 24, 2004)

Good article about the cicadas in Nature, available at http://www.nature.com/nsu/040510/040510-11.html.
I love hearing the cicadas in Europe, its one of the sounds of summer for me, but i guess there it is more of a constant low-level thing than the horde that seems to hit the US every 17 (or 13) years.


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## Darkshadow (May 27, 2004)

Down in Corpus Christi (TX) where I used to live, we got them every year.  I used to go pick the shells up when I was a kid, too.  Used to hang them on my shirt. 

I never tried to eat them (the bugs, not the shells ), though...

I haven't really paid attention here in Delaware, though.  I think there are usually _some_ of them around, but there's _a lot_ of them every 17 years or something like that.


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## mdnky (May 27, 2004)

http://www.cicadaville.com/


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## pds (May 28, 2004)

lol

sign of the times?



> Copyright 2004 Cicadaville.com
> Disclaimer - All information on Cicadaville.com is intended to be satirical and humorous.* Everything on this website is intended for entertainment purposes only.* Any resemblance to actual fact is purely coincidental.* Any advice offered by Cicadaville.com is not offered by Cicadaville.com as actual advice.* Please do not be stupid enough to believe anything you read on this site.



I mean, was that really necessary?

But then the idiot with shellfish intolerance tried to sautée them... what a world!


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## mdnky (May 28, 2004)

Having been on an Ambulance for over 7 years...yes, there are people stupid enough to try those things.  

Kinda like the "Do not take orally" warning on Bengay...you know it's on there cause someone was stupid enough to try it!  )


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## Zammy-Sam (May 28, 2004)

what is Bengay? Oral and ...gay sounds weird to me


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## Giaguara (May 28, 2004)

Cicadaville site is scary. I'm afraid there are some people who just take that too seriously. And have a heart attack when they see a cicada close to their 17-years old kid.


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## brianleahy (May 28, 2004)

Ben Gay is a cream that is used to soothe sore muscles.   It has a strong peppermint smell and makes your skin feel very warm when you rub it on.

Putting it in your mouth would be extremely unhealthy.


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## delsoljb32 (May 31, 2004)

I used to live in Japan and they were there every year as well. I remember they would fly into lit rooms at night if you didnt have the screen shut. We had to chase one out of my parents room after one flew in there and scared the crap out of my mom. Man, we had some weird bugs there. Big brown and black spiders that hung out in the shower room (humidity) and ate the other bugs. Japanese considered them good luck, and told us not to kill it. Benjo Spiders i think they were called.


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