BUZZING TRIVIA

How Long Do Cicadas Live? 10 Facts About These Noisy Friends!

Image: Shannon Potter

Cicadas are fascinating living beings. They spend years slowly developing underground, only to die shortly after emerging. They sing loud and mesmerizing summer symphonies that can be heard from miles away.

Join us as we unravel the many mysteries of cicadas!

Image: Ellicia

Cicadas have one of the longest lifespans among insects, with certain broods surviving up to 17 years underground before emerging as adults.

This extended period spent feeding on sap from tree roots allows them to develop slowly, conserving energy for their brief life above ground.

Image: USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cicada nymphs are adept tunnelers, using their strong front legs to burrow through the soil in search of tree roots to feed on. They construct vertical tunnels that can extend as much as 2 feet underground, where they remain until it's time to emerge as adults.

This subterranean lifestyle protects them from predators and environmental fluctuations until their time to emerge to the surface comes. While tunneling out, they produce chemicals that act as a sort of glue, holding the tunnel’s shape for long periods of time.

Image: Matteo Grando

Cicadas feed primarily on xylem sap, the nutrient-rich fluid found in plant vascular systems. Using their specialized mouthparts, they tap into tree roots (or branches during adulthood) to access this vital sustenance.

While their feeding habits may cause minor damage to trees, cicadas more than make up for it by helping aerate the soil with their tunnels and contributing nitrogen to the soil after they die.

Image: Ian Hutchinson

North American periodical cicadas have a unique lifecycle, spending either 13 or 17 years underground before emerging. This lengthy span isn't random, it's thought to be an evolutionary strategy to avoid synchronization with predator populations.

Emerging in prime-numbered cycles makes it difficult for predators to anticipate their arrival.

Image: Ian Hutchinson

If you are a fan of cicadas, this year you might have the chance to witness a very rare phenomenon. Periodical cicadas are classified into groups called broods according to the length of their cycles and their location.

Sometimes, two or more broods synchronize and emerge all at once in the same year, swarming wooded areas with billions of the chanting insects. In 2024, Brood XIX and Brood XIII will emerge at the same time in the Midwest, something we have not seen since Thomas Jefferson was president!

Image: Jacinto Diego

Mass emergences of cicadas can sometimes coincide with the outbreak of a fungal pathogen known as Massospora cicadina. This fungus infects cicadas, causing them to lose control of their bodies and engage in bizarre behaviors.

Infected cicadas are often noticeable because they lose part of their abdomen to a soft mass of fungal spores. Despite these gruesome effects, the fungus only affects a small percentage of the total population.

Image: Yuri Vasconcelos

Like all insects, cicadas undergo ecdysis, the process of shedding their exoskeletons as they grow. However, cicadas take this to the extreme, shedding their nymphal exoskeletons en masse once they emerge as adults.

This transformation process, known as molting, leaves behind the ghostly exoskeletons of their nymphal stages clinging to trees and other surfaces.

Image: Deb Dowd

Once above ground, adult cicadas spend their short-lived adulthood focused on one mission: reproduction. Males produce their characteristic buzzing calls to attract mates, with some species capable of reaching volumes exceeding 100 decibels.

Unlike crickets, which rub their legs together to make noise, cicadas repeatedly expand and contract a membrane called a tymbal. Their cacophonous chorus serves as a mating call that can be heard from miles away.

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

On top of their lengthy cycles and simultaneous hatching, cicadas have evolved various adaptations to survive predation. From cryptic coloration to mimicry of toxic species, they employ a range of strategies to evade hungry predators.

Males soften or stop their singing altogether when a predator approaches so that their attention goes to nearby louder singers. Some species even display bright colors on their wings when threatened.

Image: Harish Shivaraman

Celebrated for their crunchy texture and nutty flavor, in many cultures cicadas are considered prized delicacies. Among Native Americans, specimens from the 17-year brood were highly sought after, while in South Asia, they are often eaten deep-fried, or in a similar fashion to shellfish and other crustaceans.

Rich in protein and low in fat, cicadas can be a healthy and sustainable food source.

The ultimate leadership system

Decoding the chain of command: 10 main U.S. military ranks explained

The structure of the United States military relies on a hierarchy designed to maintain operational discipline and distribute leadership across every level of command. Examining 10 main U.S. Military ranks in sequential order reveals the language behind the names.

The rank of Private represents the entry-level enlisted tier in the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. At this level, service members focus on basic training, mastering tactical skills, and executing orders issued by superior officers.

Etymologically, "private" is short for "private soldier", designating an individual without public office or independent military command. Historical records note that some of the earliest documented uses of the term in the American military context appear in the personal correspondence of George Washington.

A Corporal is responsible for leading small tactical units, such as fireteams or squads. Corporals oversee the daily discipline, appearance, and fundamental skills training of junior soldiers.

The word derives from the French corporal, which stems from the Latin caput (meaning "head"). Over time, the term was influenced by the Latin corpus ("body") and the French military term corps, blending roots for "head" and "body" into the modern word corporal.

A Sergeant is a key frontline leader who typically commands a squad or section and directly supervises daily operations. Sergeants hold direct responsibility for troop welfare, equipment maintenance, and tactical execution.

The word shares its Latin root (serviens, meaning "servant") with the word servant. In medieval times, a "sergeant at arms" served as an armed retainer to a feudal lord. As military structures modernized, the sergeant evolved into the link between commissioned officers and enlisted troops.

The rank of Lieutenant serves as the entry point for commissioned leadership. Lieutenants typically command platoons consisting of 16 to 40 service members alongside an experienced platoon sergeant.

The term comes directly from the French lieu tenant, which literally translates to "place holding". A lieutenant is a placeholder or deputy tasked with standing in for or assisting a superior commander.

A Captain typically commands a company, battery, or troop consisting of 60 to 200 service members. Captains represent one of the oldest military designations in the English language, used as a general term for a military leader since the 1400s. Derived from French and rooted in the Latin caput ("head"), a captain is the "head" of an organized military unit.

A Major serves as a field-grade officer, often functioning as a battalion executive officer or primary staff supervisor. Interestingly, the rank of major is a historical abbreviation of sergeant major. During the 16th and 17th centuries, a sergeant major was a commissioned field officer ranking above a captain. As the boundary between non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers solidified in the 1700s, the "sergeant" prefix was dropped, leaving "Major" as a distinct officer rank.

A Colonel commands brigade-sized formations (1,500 to 3,200 soldiers) or fills critical senior staff positions. The title originates from the Italian colonnello, meaning the leader of a column (colonna) of troops. The unusual English pronunciation ("kernel") occurred because English borrowed the word from French, which had adopted the Italian word but altered its pronunciation, while English retained the French spelling.

A Brigadier General is a one-star general officer who commands a brigade or serves as a deputy commander for a division. The title derives directly from brigade, denoting an operational military unit composed of multiple regiments or battalions.

A Major General is a two-star general who typically commands a force of 10,000 to 15,000 personnel. This rank has a historical quirk: despite a Major ranking above a Lieutenant, a Major General ranks below a Lieutenant General. This is because the rank was originally called sergeant major general before the 1700s. Because a "sergeant major general" was subordinate to a "lieutenant general", the order remained intact even after "sergeant" was removed from the title.

A General is a four-star officer holding the highest operational rank in peacetime. Four-star generals command unified combatant commands, geographic theaters, or serve as service branch chiefs of staff. Rooted in the Latin generalis (meaning "pertaining to all" or "universal"), the title signifies overarching authority across all branches and arms of command.