SANDWICH, MASS. (WHDH) - It’s a sight Massachusetts only sees every 17 years, a brood of cicadas, emerging from the ground and making noise out on the Cape.
“There are 17 year and 14 year cicadas in North America, but in Massachusetts, we only have the 17 year cicadas,” said Mary Beers, science teacher and naturalist. “They’re finding them in Falmouth, Mashpee, so it’s pretty much upper Cape, into Plymouth, into the other side of the canal. But, nowhere else in Massachusetts, which is interesting to me, and not in the lower Cape.”
The insects are a surprising sight at more than an inch long. They spend most of their life cycle underground before emerging.
Even though they look intimidating, cicadas are not harmful. They don’t bite or sting, and won’t destroy your garden.
However, they’re already starting to make quite a bit of noise.
“There are three different species of them,” said Beers. All that I’ve been finding right now are what they call the ‘pharaoh cicadas,…’ and they go, ‘Phaaaaroah! Phaaaaroah!’ And it kind of sounds like some kind of yard equipment. But I’m still waiting for the other buzzers to come.”
Cicadas can’t hurt larger, more established trees. Young trees may need protection from cicadas looking to lay eggs in the branches.
Experts say you can cover them in mesh or netting with openings smaller than a quarter inch until the cicada season has passed.
And since they’re harmless, everyone can enjoy watching nature share a rare sight to behold.
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