Latest news with #cicadas
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Health
- CBS News
Cicadas emerge on Cape Cod after 17 years underground. Why researchers test them for mercury.
After 17 years underground, cicadas are emerging on Cape Cod. The noisy bugs will spend the next four to six weeks above ground as part of their life cycle. When underground, they feed on nutrients and pollutants from nearby trees. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is capturing the insects to test them for heightened mercury levels. "We are looking at the base of the tree to see any if cicadas are climbing up from the bottom," said Corinne Richard, a WHOI research assistant. "The first thing we need to do is find a tree with holes around the bottom." Mercury levels in cicadas Mercury is everywhere from the ground to the air to the ocean. Scientists at WHOI want to see if the mercury levels in the bugs are getting higher, and how much of it is natural versus manmade. Assistant Scientist Laura Motta is out collecting cicadas, but typically she is working on zooplankton in the ocean. She calls them the bugs of the sea. Often, she sees mercury in plankton as well as the fish we eat. Cicada on Cape Cod CBS Boston "The cicadas are a cool analogue of what happens out in the ocean," said Motta. "What we are trying to figure out is how they get it, through time and anthropogenic emissions increases? How are we polluting our forest?" Motta and Richard have been collecting cicadas as well as their molts and the leaves they are near. When the molts land on the ground, they will decompose and potentially reintroduce that mercury to the soil. The mercury can also be passed onto their offspring. "What we are trying to figure out is where does it end up, and how does it accumulate and become a public health problem?" said Motta. The insects are placed into bags depending on their gender. It's easy to figure out which one is a female. "They don't have the ability to sing," said Motta, putting a live cicada up to her ear and shaking it. "If you get really close, you'll be able to tell female or male." How cicadas are tested After they collect a cicada, they give them a quick bath with a water bottle to clean off any excess mercury on their body. The bugs are later frozen at extremely cold temperatures before they are freeze dried and smashed into a powder. The powder is then tested for the mercury levels. "A few years ago, someone did a study to show that cicadas have quite a bit of mercury," said Motta. Now, researchers at WHOI will compare the new data with the study from 17 years ago to see if the mercury levels are rising.
CBS News
16 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Cicada invasion begins as Brood XIV swarms parts of U.S. See photos.
This year's cicada invasion has started as Brood XIV emerges from underground and swarms parts of the U.S. The insects are expected to be concentrated in Kentucky and Tennessee, and show up in parts of Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, central Pennsylvania and Long Island, New York. It is a one-in-17-year event for Brood XIV, which digs its way up from the soil as it warms and descends on neighborhoods in the billions. The brood, however, is the only group emerging this spring, meaning there likely won't be as many cicadas as last year when multiple broods surfaced simultaneously. Cicada nymphs develop in the soil over a long period and surface when the ground hits 64 degrees Fahrenheit. They can be heard crunching through the grass to climb up trees, plants, people or any vertical surface, with a forceful quality about it. Experts say they're not dangerous to pets or humans, and they don't sting or bite — and aren't poisonous or venomous. Instead, cicadas are also largely beneficial to the ecosystem, serving as a source of food source for birds and other predators. They can aerate soil and provide nutrients for trees when they decompose. Photos show this year's invasion beginning. Periodical cicada nymphs climb the trunk of a maple tree to shed their nymphal skins after a heavy rain, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. Carolyn Kaster/AP A periodical cicada nymph climbs to the end of a fern frond, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. Carolyn Kaster/AP Periodical cicada nymphs and adults are seen on the underside of a begonia plant after a heavy rain, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Cincinnati. Carolyn Kaster/AP An adult periodical cicada, in the process of shedding its nymphal skin, is seen on May 20, 2025, in Cincinnati. There are two large compound eyes, which are used to visually perceive the world around them, and three small, jewel-like, simple eyes called ocelli center. Carolyn Kaster/AP A periodical cicada flies up from the grass pursued by a cardinal, May 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. Carolyn Kaster/AP A female bluebird picks a periodical cicada from the grass, May 23, 2025, in Cincinnati. Carolyn Kaster/AP and contributed to this report.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
AP PHOTOS: Cicadas swarm parts of US as the screaming insects emerge in Brood XIV's 17-year cycle
Another cicada invasion is here. The large Brood XIV, which emerges every 17 years, is making for a spectacular natural event as billions of periodical cicadas emerge across parts of the Eastern U.S., including in Georgia, southern Ohio, Kentucky, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Long Island, New York. When spring warms the soil to 64 degrees Fahrenheit (about 18 degrees Celsius), these cicada nymphs dig their way up to the surface after their long development period. On the right night, usually after a warm spring rain, near trees showing cicada pilot holes and chimneys, they will emerge — so many that they can be heard crunching through the grass to climb up trees, plants, people or any vertical surface. There is a forceful quality about it. Once they find footing, they begin the molting process. They shed their nymphal skin, emerging soft, vulnerable and pale yellow. They have two large red eyes on the sides of the head, three small, jewellike eyes called ocelli in the center, and gossamer wings. In a few hours, their bodies harden and darken, and they fly up to the treetops. Then the screaming begins — the loud buzzing, screaming sound males make when they are looking for a mate. It leaves ears ringing. Throughout this process, cicadas serve as a source of protein for both wildlife and humans. They survive by sheer numbers. After mating, females lay eggs in tree branches and die shortly after. The hatched tiny nymphs fall and burrow into the ground, and the cycle begins again. Cicadas are part of the magic of spring when the yellow and purple irises are blooming, and the green is new and vivid. The cicada show takes place in every light of the day and the dark of night. The pull is the power and beauty of nature and time. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Cicadas swarm parts of the Eastern U.S. as the screaming insects emerge in Brood XIV's 17-year cycle
CINCINNATI (AP) — This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Another cicada invasion is here. The large Brood XIV, which emerges every 17 years, is making for a spectacular natural event as billions of periodical cicadas emerge across parts of the Eastern U.S., including in Georgia, southern Ohio, Kentucky, Cape Cod in Massachusetts, and Long Island, New York. When spring warms the soil to 64 degrees Fahrenheit (about 18 degrees Celsius), these cicada nymphs dig their way up to the surface after their long development period. On the right night, usually after a warm spring rain, near trees showing cicada pilot holes and chimneys, they will emerge -- so many that they can be heard crunching through the grass to climb up trees, plants, people or any vertical surface. There is a forceful quality about it. Once they find footing, they begin the molting process. They shed their nymphal skin, emerging soft, vulnerable and pale yellow. They have two large red eyes on the sides of the head, three small, jewel-like eyes called ocelli in the center, and gossamer wings. In a few hours, their bodies harden and darken, and they fly up to the treetops. Then the screaming begins — the loud buzzing, screaming sound males make when they are looking for a mate. It leaves ears ringing. Throughout this process, cicadas serve as a source of protein for both wildlife and humans. They survive by sheer numbers. After mating, females lay eggs in tree branches and die shortly after. The hatched tiny nymphs fall and burrow into the ground, and the cycle begins again. Cicadas are part of the magic of spring when the yellow and purple irises are blooming, and the green is new and vivid. The cicada show takes place in every light of the day and the dark of night. The pull is the power and beauty of nature and time.
Fox News
a day ago
- Climate
- Fox News
America's second-largest cicada swarm is about to emerge across the East Coast
The low hum of summer typically includes lawnmowers and sizzling burgers — and this year, it may be the sound of cicadas. This year's brood of insects may be the second-biggest ever. Two types of cicadas commonly exist in the Eastern United States: annual cicadas, which emerge every year, and periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The insects reside primarily in trees and shrubs. Broods are a way of categorizing cicadas based on this pattern, and less of a biological trait. Because broods emerge in different areas, places that had cicadas last year may not have them this year, according to Dr. John R. Cooley, associate professor-in-residence of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut. Brood XIV is referred to as a "keystone" brood, Cooley told Fox News Digital. It is the second-largest behind Brood XIX, the "Great Southern Brood," which last emerged in 2024 in 15 states from Oklahoma to Maryland. While there is another "Great Eastern Brood" – Brood X, which emerged in 2021 – Brood XIV is larger, and could thus be considered the "Great(er) Eastern Brood." Brood XIV will emerge in states ranging from Georgia all the way up to New York, according to the University of Connecticut. "Once an emergence gets going, it lasts about a month, depending on the weather," Cooley said. "It seems like the weather this year has been quite strange — the emergence is well underway in North Carolina, but further north, because of the cold weather, it hasn't even really started yet in Pennsylvania," he added. Adult cicadas climb into trees and shrubs to mate, and then females deposit their eggs onto small twigs. The babies, called nymphs, hatch from these eggs after six weeks and fall to the ground. They then burrow into the soil and begin feeding on the roots of trees and shrubs to restart the cicada lifecycle, according to the EPA. Cicadas will not eat leaves, flowers, fruits or garden produce, so it is not necessary to take special precautions to cover or apply additional insecticides in your garden, the above source stated. For more Lifestyle articles, visit "People should keep in mind that what they are seeing is unique — there is no other place in the world where such a thing happens, and they are found only in the U.S.," Cooley pointed out. The EPA also notes that cicadas don't bite or sting, and they are not harmful to humans, pets, household gardens or crops.
