SPLAT!!! WTH Was that??!!

[qadthane]

What's the last thing to go through cicadas mind when it hits your visor at speed?


It's asshole.

Old joke I know, but I love it still.

[Monsterlover]

They don't.  Their life cycle started all those years ago.

There's a new crop in the ground every year.

From wikipedia:

"After mating, the female cuts slits into the bark of a twig, and into these she deposits her eggs. She may do so repeatedly, until she has laid several hundred eggs. When the eggs hatch, the newborn nymphs drop to the ground, where they burrow. Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer life cycles, such as the North American genus, Magicicada, which has a number of distinct "broods" that go through either a 17-year or, in some parts of the world , a 13-year life cycle. These long life cycles perhaps developed as a response to predators such as the cicada killer wasp and praying mantis.[14][15][16] A predator with a shorter life cycle of at least 2 years could not reliably prey upon the cicadas.[17]

Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives, at depths ranging from about 30 cm (1 ft) down to 2.5 m (about 8½ ft). The nymphs feed on root juice and have strong front legs for digging.

In the final nymphal instar, they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge. They then molt (shed their skins), on a nearby plant for the last time and emerge as adults. The abandoned skins remain, still clinging to the bark of trees."

[Monster Dave]

They don't.  Their life cycle started all those years ago.

There's a new crop in the ground every year.

From wikipedia:

"After mating, the female cuts slits into the bark of a twig, and into these she deposits her eggs. She may do so repeatedly, until she has laid several hundred eggs. When the eggs hatch, the newborn nymphs drop to the ground, where they burrow. Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer life cycles, such as the North American genus, Magicicada, which has a number of distinct "broods" that go through either a 17-year or, in some parts of the world , a 13-year life cycle. These long life cycles perhaps developed as a response to predators such as the cicada killer wasp and praying mantis.[14][15][16] A predator with a shorter life cycle of at least 2 years could not reliably prey upon the cicadas.[17]

Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives, at depths ranging from about 30 cm (1 ft) down to 2.5 m (about 8½ ft). The nymphs feed on root juice and have strong front legs for digging.

In the final nymphal instar, they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge. They then molt (shed their skins), on a nearby plant for the last time and emerge as adults. The abandoned skins remain, still clinging to the bark of trees."

That last part always creeped me out as a kid. I was never into bugs as a kid.

[Monsterlover]

I used to collect the shells.

[ducatiz]

I love Cicadas.  Harmless and funny and even friendly. 

Tie a thread around one of their legs and they will fly around in a circle.

[Monsterlover]

wrong, but funny.

[Monster Dave]

I love Cicadas.  Harmless and funny and even friendly. 

Tie a thread around one of their legs and they will fly around in a circle.

Oh that's mean!!

[ducatiz]

Oh that's mean!!

Yes, I have gotten so much hate mail from Cicadas over this. 

[Monsterlover]

www.cicadasaginstducatiz.com

[Monster Dave]

Yes, I have gotten so much hate mail from Cicadas over this. 

You'd better watch your beers in the future...

[AJ]

I used to collect the shells.

Growing up we had the 13 year cicadas & I had this weird fascination with the shells too.  Mostly trying to pry them off trees, I didn't want to keep them.  And looking for the rare albino cicadas.

[rule62]

We have the 17-year cicadas in Maryland.  Yeah... there are cicadas every year there, but the 17-year brood is really something special.  They're absolutely everywhere.  The last batch was in 2004.  Swarm so big they almost block out the sun.  I absolutely hate bugs.  The 1987 brood just about killed my lawn mowing venture for that summer. 

[akmnstr]

I've seen their exoskeletons clinging to my house since moving to Texas.  If you could make one about a thousand times bigger you'd have a frightening movie monster.   

[Monster Dave]

We have the 17-year cicadas in Maryland.  Yeah... there are cicadas every year there, but the 17-year brood is really something special.  They're absolutely everywhere.  The last batch was in 2004.  Swarm so big they almost block out the sun.  I absolutely hate bugs.  The 1987 brood just about killed my lawn mowing venture for that summer. 

Ryan, I was living in Ohio back in 87 and remember that!! They were EVERYWHERE!! In fact, I think that's the one memory of them that has always stuck with me!!!

[Jarvicious]

I used to collect the shells.

Me too.  I had a little tub full of them.  The tips of the legs on the shells were actually pretty sharp and I used to put them in random places on my sister's clothing    What else are little sisters good for?

We had the 17 year swarm in Central Illinois when I was in high school and at one point the neighbor kids would go outside with badminton racquets, nudge the bushes, and go apeshit on all the fleeing cicadas.  Normally I wouldn't agree to such butchery, but I don't think there was gonna be a shortage that year.....