The first few weeks at Monmouth College are never quiet. This is not because of the loud music on the weekends, but because of the cicadas. “Cicada” comes from the Latin word, meaning “tree cricket.” While cicadas are often referred to “locusts,” they are actually not part of the locust family (Stannard 5).
The life cycle of a cicada is remarkable. Cicadas live in the ground for 13-17 years as a nymph. A nymph looks similar to a termite. Nymphs can not make noise because they do not have the correct organs to do so. U.S. cicada expert John Cooley points that because cicadas emerge in such staggering numbers, there are enough cicadas to satisfy its predators, while also leaving plenty of cicadas to mate and continue to propagate the species (Lagesse 13). Both the nymph and adult cicadas form beaks, which they use to suck fluids out of plants. In August the nymphs crawl to high ground, usually trees, this is where they will transform into mature adults. Cicadas will only live as an adult for about two to three weeks.
But how do cicadas make their song? When transforming, they will break out of their old shell. In this form, they have wings and special organs called tymbals. Cicadas use tymbal organs to “sing” (Ramsey). Most people think that cicadas are just mindless insects making noise, but the cicadas are actually singing a song. Since they do not have much more time to live they are constantly trying to find a mate. They sing different songs for different moods, a song to call for mates, a song for when a mate is found, a song to establish territories, and even a distress call song (Ramsey). Cicadas are actually harmless; the only way they could harm you is if they were “singing” close to your ear, which could cause you to go deaf. Cicadas are the loudest insect known to human. A swarm of cicadas can produce sounds up to 120 decibels (Ramsey). That’s louder than a rock concert (about 115 decibels), and comparable to the noise from a chainsaw (humans start to experience pain from sound at the 110 to 120 decibel level) (Ramsey).
Cicadas’ predators are birds, small mammals, spiders and other insects such as ants. After mating the female will find a safe branch to lay their eggs. The female does this by cutting a slit into a small branch with the “ovipositor” (like a needle) (Ramsey). The ovipositor is tucked up underneath the stomach of the cicada. When the female is ready she will more the ovipositor out from underneath the stomach. Then the female with pump the eggs from the abdomen to the ovipositor, which will place the eggs deep into the branch. Six weeks later the eggs will hatch, the slit in the branch will not only provide shelter but a food source (“Periodical Cicadas”) The freshly hatched nymph will suck the juice from the branch to get nutrients. When the nymphs are ready they crawl out of the branch and fall to the ground where they will dig deep into the soil and start the life cycle again (Lagasse 2). So next time you are in Monmouth take a moment to listen to and appreciate the unique sound of the cicada song.
Works Cited
Lagasse, Paul. "Cicada." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2015. Web. 25 September 2015.
Lagos-Kutz, Doris. “Molecular and Morphological.” Zookeys. Academic Search Complete. 2006. Web. 24 September 2015.