South-Carolina

Cicada ‘roar’: Concerned SC residents call police. What to know about cicada emergence.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 29, 2024

Cicada ‘roar’: Concerned SC residents call police. What to know about cicada emergence.

Last week, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office was swarmed by phone calls from local residents who were concerned about a particular sound they were hearing outdoors.

“We had several calls about a noise in the air that sounds like a siren, or a whine, or a roar,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

So, what exactly was all the buzz about?

“The sound is cicadas,” the post said. “Cicadas are a super family of insects that appear each spring. The nymphs have lived underground for 13-17 years and now this time they are hatching.”

Brood XIX cicadas may be on the rise in the Upstate, but the sheriff’s office has assured residents that the insects are just a nuisance ― not a threat.

“Although to some the noise is annoying, they pose no danger to humans or pets. Unfortunately it is the sounds of nature.” the post said.

What are cicadas, and what do they look like?

According to Clemson University, cicadas are thick-bodied, plant-feeding insects that can be found clinging to trees and vegetation. They measure 1-2 inches long and have compound eyes in shades of black and red, although some may emerge with blue or white eyes. Having two eyes is better than one, but cicadas are lucky enough to have three called the ocelli, which are located in the middle of their head. The wings of the insects are thick with prominent veins, and their antennae are small.

Cicadas are known for their loud, shrill noise and exoskeletons (discarded shells). Along with hemipterans like leafhoppers and spittlebugs, cicadas belong to the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Their presence can be found worldwide. In the U.S., they live in the eastern and southern parts of the country.

Annual cicadas and periodical cicadas are oftentimes confused with one another. In South Carolina, annual cicadas, which are black and green, can be heard every year during the summer. Periodical cicadas are smaller at 1.5 inches. They are black with red eyes and orange veins within their wings, only emerging every 13-17 years. Broods XIX are periodical cicadas.

“People hear the annual cicadas every year,” said Eric Benson, Clemson University’s extension entomologist. “In the summertime when it’s hot, dog day cicadas can be heard. In the late afternoon or evening, you’ll hear that whining in the trees. Those are the cicadas, the males calling to the females. But you know, that may be tens of hundreds (of cicadas), not tens of thousands or millions. It’s just the sheer number that makes them so loud.”

How do cicadas produce their sound?

There are over 3,000 cicada species, each one having a distinct sound, according to Britannica. Males are the only cicadas to produce the sound, which is used to establish authority and attract females into mating. Prior to copulation, a courting call is also produced. Another use of sound is to deter predators. Periodical cicadas are louder than annual cicadas due to their large numbers.

The tymbal organ is a part of the cicada anatomy that is distinct from other insects, each male possessing a pair of the circular, ridged members on the back and side surface of the first abdominal segment, according to Britannica. When the tymbal muscle attached to the membrane is contracted, it bends, making a clicking sound. As the muscle relaxes, the tymbal goes back into place. The contractions are rapid in succession, moving 120-480 times a second and creating a sound that seems continuous to the human ear. The sound is amplified by air sacs containing resonant frequencies similar to the tymbal vibration frequencies. This is why cicadas sound like they are buzzing.

Are cicadas harmful to humans or pets?

Cicadas are not harmful to humans or pets and do not sting or bite, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Although they are not a threat to pets, cats or dogs that consume too many of the tiny creatures may come down with a temporary upset stomach, which may lead to vomiting.

But if you see a cicada, don’t squash it ― these buzzing bugs have environmental benefits:

∎ They are a food source for birds and other predators.

∎ They can aerate lawns and improve water filtration into the ground.

∎ When they decompose, they add nutrients to the soil.

When will the cicadas die off?

Once male and female cicadas have mated and the female has laid its eggs, USA TODAY reports the insects will die after spending only five weeks above ground, according to National Geographic. In other cases, adult periodical cicadas live for just three or four weeks, according to Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Nina Tran covers trending topics. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com

Source link

Click to comment

South-Carolina

Series Primer: No. 24 South Carolina At No. 1 Tennessee

Published

4 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Series Primer: No. 24 South Carolina At No. 1 Tennessee

After suffering a brutal series sweep at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs this past weekend, the South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to prevent things from snowballing in their regular series finale against the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers, who have won eight straight series dating back to late March. The Vols have won each of the last four series against the Gamecocks.

The biggest reason Tennessee has had the significant success they’ve seen this season is their batting lineup. Looking at just league play, the Volunteers rank in the Top 4 in the SEC in batting average, hits, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs, and RBIs. Three Tennessee batters have hit eight homers or more in SEC play, with Christian Moore hitting a ridiculous 17 bombs to go along with a .413 batting average and 1.325 OPS. He should get the Charlie Condon treatment beyond the first inning.

Where Carolina could make hay in this series is against the Volunteers’ pitching staff. The Volunteers have an interesting contrast on their stat sheet, as while they have the least amount of walks given up in conference play, they have the fifth-worst mark in the league when it comes to the batting average they allow. This indicates that Tennessee pounds the strike zone and challenges hitters. Based on these numbers, with the Gamecocks in ‘wounded animal mode,’ they need to be aggressive at the plate to take some of the weight off their pitchers and give themselves a better shot of pulling off the upset.

Thursday
South Carolina Ty Good (5th RHP) 5-1, 3.21 ERA, 47.2 IP, 21 BB, 63 SO
Tennessee Chris Stamos (Gr. LHP) 3-0, 3.33 ERA, 24.1 IP, 12 BB, 27 SO

Friday
South Carolina TBA
Tennessee Drew Beam (Jr. RHP) 7-2, 3.75 ERA, 74.1 IP, 17 BB, 67 SO

Saturday
South Carolina TBA
Tennessee Zander Sechrist (Sr. LHP) 1-1, 4.57 ERA, 43.1 IP, 10 BB, 48 SO

You Might Also Like:

Join the community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest and on Facebook!

Source link

South-Carolina

Meet the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest winner

Published

11 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

Nearly 7,000 independent artists entered this year’s Tiny Desk Contest, NPR Music’s annual search for the next great undiscovered artist. Earlier today, Morning Edition revealed the winner: a Sacramento producer, singer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist who performs as The Philharmonik. As he soaks in his big win and prepares to travel to NPR’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to perform a Tiny Desk concert, songwriter Christian Gates joins Juana Summers to share the story behind his winning entry.

One of the requirements when submitting to the Tiny Desk Contest is that each video must feature a desk. (It shows the judges that artists are prepared to play behind the real Tiny Desk; plus, it’s fun.) Gates says that desks usually make him feel as if he’s deviating from his own path by working for someone else. Eventually, he decided he needed to work at his own desk.

In a YouTube comment on his video, Gates shouts out the Sacramento community, which helped him see this vision through when he said he didn’t have a single penny to his name.

Gates expands on this comment in his All Things Considered interview, sharing with Summers that he went through a dark and humbling time last year. While driving for Uber in order to make ends meet, he got into a bad car accident and could no longer work.

“I was really scrounging up money for change, to even do shows,” he says. “I had these big visions for shows where I wanted nine people playing with me — but I couldn’t afford it. And as the months went by it got progressively worse. And my other bills started to fall behind, too.”

Then, when the Tiny Desk Contest opened, he asked his community for a favor.

“I said, hey, I think we could do good in this Contest if we execute this vision — but I really need your guys’ help with this,” Gates explains. “And everybody, absolutely everybody, came through to help me with no hesitation.”

Gates says that since winning the Contest, it feels like his life has changed overnight.

“I’m glad that I went through the struggle, because 1715811069 this win feels so honest to me, to what I believe in. It’s a reflection of what I’ve worked for,” he shares. “So I’m eternally grateful for everything that I’ve gone through, good and bad.”

This summer, Gates and his eight-piece band will headline the 10-city Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour. You can get tickets to see The Philharmonik, plus other local Contest entrants, at npr.org/tinydeskcontest.

Source link

South-Carolina

South Carolina women’s basketball will play Michigan in season opener at Las Vegas

Published

18 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina women’s basketball will play Michigan in season opener at Las Vegas

COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball will open its 2024-25 season against Michigan on Nov. 4 in Las Vegas, giving the Gamecocks their first opponent for the self-proclaimed “repeat tour.”

Coach Dawn Staley revealed the news Wednesday. The game will be played at T-Mobile Arena as part of the 2024-25 Hall of Fame series, which features a doubleheader with a men’s game between Texas and Ohio State.

Staley previously said that finalizing a schedule was difficult because of the lack of opponents wanting to play the Gamecocks, who won the national championship on April 7, completing an undefeated season.

On Tuesday, the 2024-25 SEC opponents were released. South Carolina will play a home-and-home series with SEC newcomer Texas.

The Wolverines were 20-14 last season, losing to Kansas in overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

THIS SEASON: South Carolina women’s basketball looks loaded again in 2024-25 roster under Dawn Staley

South Carolina and Michigan have not played each other since 1995 when the Gamecocks beat the Wolverines 78-69 on Dec. 1 in Ann Arbor. The Gamecocks are 3-0 overall against the Wolverines, and the two other wins were at home. The first was a 84-50 win on Feb. 8, 1976 and the second on Dec. 1, 1994 when the Gamecocks won 82-78.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

Source link