Arkansas Preps for Noisy Symphony of Cicadas

They’re loud and they’re coming to Arkansas.

Two broods of cicadas are hatching across the state after more than a decade of dormancy and they have a lot to say after that length of downtime.

They are the loudest insect and their constant buzzing can drown out lawnmowers and even chainsaws.

“It’s always on,” said Cynthia Miller, who works at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. “There’s no stopping. No pause. It’s constant. It’s like an electrical buzzing that goes on constantly.”

One cicada hatch, referred to as Brood XIX, is emerging across much of the southern U.S. after 13 years of dormancy. At the same time, Brood XIII, a smaller group that comes out every 17 years, is also appearing this spring and summer in the Midwest.

The simultaneous appearance of the two cicada hatchings is rare. The last time both showed up at the same time was in 1807. Entomologists say central Illinois – specifically, Springfield — is the area where the overlapping of both breeds will mostly occur.

Trillions of the winged, three-inch-long critters are expected to crawl out of the roots of trees and from underground nests. They differ a bit from the annual hatch of cicadas in Arkansas in that they are darker and have bulging orange eyes.

They’re not dangerous, said Jon Zawislak, assistant professor of apiculture and urban entomology with the University of Arkansas system’s Division of Agriculture.

They won’t damage crops or eat grass and plants like hoards of locusts, which people erroneously confuse with the cicadas. But they do burrow in trees and they create a nuisance when they begin hatching.

They also have an annoying habit of expelling jets of cicada urine when agitated.

Miller said she had to recently sweep out 60-70 of the cicadas that had gotten inside a building at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.

She also left a porch light on at her home near the park one night. The illumination attracted the cicadas and when she headed out to work the following morning, she said she was bombarded by more than 100 of the flying bugs.

There’s also thought that they attract poisonous snakes and areas could be overrun by them. Copperheads, one of Arkansas’ venomous snake breeds, feast on the cicadas because they are high in protein. Think of fat guys crowding the all-you-can-eat buffet.

“We’ve had several calls to remove copperheads from yards in Arkansas lately,” said Maria Abramson, a dispatcher at the National State Wildlife removal service based near St. Louis that has offices in Missouri and Arkansas. “A lot of callers say the snakes are right in their yards and they’re there because of the cicadas.”

She said residents should check garages, laundry rooms and play equipment in the yard for snakes. They also get trapped in netting used when residents seed their lawns, she said.

“It’s more in rural settings, but we just got a call from someone in Little Rock who needed a copperhead removed,” she said.

Molting Neotibicen Tibicen | Photo Credit: Ken Heard

However, Randy Zellers, a spokesman for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the sudden surge of copperheads may not really be the case. Copperhead sightings generally increase during cicada hatchings because more people traipse in the woods in search of cicadas. While searching for the insects, people may stumble upon the snakes in their natural habitats.

Wild turkeys, other birds and even bass dine on the bugs, he said.

“They’re cool bugs,” Zellers said. “They’re little packages of protein. Hunters who kill turkeys will open them up and see they gorged themselves on cicadas.”

Zellers said he’s heard recent reports of the cicadas mostly appearing in south Arkansas near Arkadelphia, around Hot Springs and in the Mountain Home area. Zellers lives in Paron in Saline County and he’s not heard the cicadas. Yet.

Still, they could come. The hatching period lasts for a few weeks, Zawislak said.

They come out from their underground habitats when soil 8 inches deep reaches 64 degrees, he said. The cicadas only live for four to six weeks and during that time, they mate and their eggs will hatch within six to 10 weeks. The nymphs then burrow into the ground and remain “dormant” for between two to 17 years, depending upon the species.

They then emerge as adults and the noise returns.

The Brood XIX, named because it was the 19^th breed discovered, is located mainly in the southeast. Brood XIII will hatch more in Illinois and Iowa. In all, 17 states will see the swarm of cicadas this summer.

Tests have shown cicada choruses are often in the 80- to 85-decibel range. That’s equal to city traffic heard inside a car and gasoline-powered lawnmowers.

Some have recorded cicadas getting as loud as 111.4 db, which is comparable to being inside a car with a barking dog. Hearing damage could occur within two minutes, according to CicadaMania, a website designed to monitor the rare hatch of the two breeds.

“It may not be thick with cicadas where you are now,” Zellers said. “But the hatches take time. When they come out, you’ll know they’re here.”

Feature Photo: Brood XIX Cicada
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