Cicada XIV brood making loud appearance across East Tennessee
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Over the last few weeks there has been a distinct noise echoing throughout East Tennessee. This is due to a brood of cicadas finally coming to the surface.
The sound echoing through East Tennessee as Brood XIV makes it's presence known. It has been 17 years since the Pharoah Brood last came to the surface.
'They started singing real loud, I believe it was May 3rd that our neighbor texted us asking if we had a house alarm going off because it was so loud,' Sevier County resident Jennifer said. 'They were centered right around the house.'
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The Pharoah brood, as they are being called, have bright accent colors including their eyes and legs. Adult cicadas will typically live between two and four weeks after coming to the surface.
'They started making noise May 2nd. It was a couple days before that when the girls were finding the little husks from where they came out of the ground and shed,' Jennifer said. 'It's definitely been a fun experience being outdoors and hunting them.'
It's the first time since 2008 that this brood last emerged from the ground and there is some science behind when it's time for them to come out. According to the University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture, this particular brood will only emerge after 17 years when the ground temperature reached 64 degrees, eight inches below the surface.
Each female cicada can lay between 400 to 600 eggs which will initially hatch within two months. That's when they burrow into the soil to find suitable roots allowing them to get needed nutrients for the next 17 years, meaning you could have a cicada brood in your back yard without ever knowing.
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'It's been such a treat to know that, we've been here for about 10 years, and just to know that they've been here the whole time with us and they've been silent and we didn't know they were here until we get this massive spectacle,' Jennifer said. 'It's impressive to know that they have been in our backyard this whole time. Then all of a sudden they're here, they're loud and they have been very in our face. They've been our quiet neighbors for 10 years.'
To put how long it's been since this brood last made an appearance, 'Low' by Flo Rida was the number one song in 2008. Eggs were $2.16 a dozen, a postage stamp cost 42 cents and Tiger Woods won his third career U.S. Open while playing on a broken leg. Needless to say, these cicadas will be around for another week or two and they are not to be confused with the annual cicada broods.
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Jennifer added that they have never heard cicadas be as loud as this current brood has been. According to Purdue University's Department of Entomology, cicadas are not toxic and don't sting, however, their exoskeletons may be difficult for your pet to digest which could cause an upset stomach.
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