After over ten years, it is time for mating.
Several billion cyclic cicadas are expected to invade 16 states in the United States soon – where a fungal disease risks turning them into sex-crazed zombies.
– This is a sexually transmitted zombie disease, says John Cooley, entomologist at the University of Connecticut, to the AP news agency.
It is called “Swarm Mageddon”.
Every 13 or 17 years, cyclic cicadas crawl out of the ground in about 16 US states. In a couple of weeks it will be time.
“Can hardly be out”
According to the University of Connecticut, the number is expected to be as high as one trillion (one thousand billion). Some of them suffer from a fungal disease that takes over part of the body and causes the rear, including the genitals, to fall off. However, it does not happen at the expense of the sexual desire – quite the opposite.
– They become hypersexual, even though they are sterile, they become extra eager to mate. It contributes to the fungus spreading more easily between individuals, says Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson, professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and author of several insect books, to TT.
And it is a loud act that takes place when the cycads are about to reproduce.
– For us humans, their sound becomes intense, high-frequency and cutting. It is so extremely high that you can hardly be outside for the short period, around three weeks, that this is going on, says Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson.
Survives on root sap
The black bugs are about the size of a thumb and survive on root sap deep in the dark soil year after year. When they then get above ground, the invasion is a fact.
– We are talking about three million cicadas in an area the size of a football pitch, says Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson.
The cicadas pose no threat to either humans or animals. On the contrary, the mass invasion can mean good news for butterfly caterpillars in the form of easy prey. The cyclic cicadas are described as lazy and fat.
And for those people who are enticed by the thought of a mouthful, a taste reminiscent of asparagus can be expected.