Get ready: Cicada swarm 'Brood X' expected to emerge this summer
In just a few short weeks, more than 15 states across the US will see a rare phenomenon.
Billions of cicadas are now just weeks away from bursting from the soil. The so-called "Brood X" is the massive swarm that’s been burrowed underground for nearly two decades.
Experts say three different species could populate parts of the northeast by mid-May. All three combined will make for a pretty loud sound.
"There’s this high-pitched whine that sort of sounds like a 1950’s science fiction movie with the flying saucers landing. The other sounds like buzz clicks and that rotary sprinkler...ch-ch-ch-ch" says Dr. Gene Kritsky, a professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Ohio.
The good news is that cicadas are harmless and their hatch mostly provides food for birds, animals, and larger insects.
Nevertheless, experts say to prepare for the biggest and possibly most boisterous brood around.
"We expect that there will be thousands and thousands of individuals that'll be coming out," said Dr. Jessica Ware, an Assistant Curator at the American Museum of Natural History.
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