NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) —Swarms of 17-year and 13-year Cicadas are projected to emerge in Tennessee over the next several years.
That’s according to the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture.
When Cicadas come to town – residents know it and it’s something that sticks with them.
“As a kid, we had an island in our driveway because it was circular. There were so many you couldn’t see the grass,” FOX 17 News reporter and Nashville native Alex Apple said. “As a kid, that blows your mind.”
The high-pitched, shrill sounding songs of these insects always creates a buzz.
“It’s a total invasion,” FOX 17 News reporter and Nashville native Harriet Wallace said. “If you’re not from here, you won’t believe it until you see it.”
According to UTIA, two races of periodical Cicadas exist, 13-year and 17-year.
After shedding their skins, the males noisily climb to the treetops, hoping to attract females, who lay their eggs there. Those eggs fall to the ground.
The tiny nymphs that emerge, repeat the cycle, by burrowing underground.
“They’re awful, they’re everywhere, they’re ugly,” longtime Nashvillian and FOX 17 News Sports Anchor Dave Foster said. “They were in the bats, the gloves, the baseball field.”
While a massive swarm of 17-year Cicadas is on the horizon for Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania – Tennessee will see the return of the Cicadas in just two years, UTIA said.