Big Bug Bang: Millions of insects to come out of Earth in rare 'double cicada explosion'

Americans are in for an exciting, albeit bugging, occurrence. A double cicada emergence is on the cards this year, a rarity that is happening after 221 years. Two broods of cicadas will explode from the ground at the same time: Brood XIII and Brood XIX.

Typically, the insects emerge from underground every 13 or 17 years, depending on the brood.

But this year, both these broods will emerge together.

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This rare joint explosion of cicadas last happened in the year 1803, the year the Louisiana Purchase was made.

Its next occurrence will happen only 421 years later.

Cicadas are insects that spend the early stages of their lives underground. Once fully grown, they emerge in millions for food and to mate. While Brood XIX of cicadas emerges once every 13 years, Brood XIII explodes from the ground every 17 years.

Hannah Fry, a science communicator and mathematician, described the entire thing on Instagram, saying, "There's one type that lives for 13 years, then there's another one that lives for 17 years. It spends almost all of that time underground."

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Will these cicadas pose a problem to humans?

While the buzzing and sheer number of cicadas can be annoying, they do not directly pose a threat to humans. Cicadas mostly cause havoc on the trees where they lay eggs. They also do not threaten agricultural produce. Experts say that since the main goal of the cicadas is to mate after emerging from the ground, they do not eat much.

The main brunt of these cicadas is borne by young trees and shrubs since this is where they lay their eggs, numbering over 400 at a time.

However, one might want to wear earplugs to cut the annoying mating sound these cicadas make which can reach up to 100 decibels.

Which US states will witness the cicada emergence?

Brood XIII and Brood XIX will make a joint appearance only in Iowa and Illinois. However, the 13-year brood will be seen in states like Oklahoma, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

This joint cicada explosion is expected to happen sometime in the middle of this year, that is around springtime. The bugs will swarm the skies in millions and make a literal mess.

A dramatic cicada emergence

The amount of coordination between one brood of cicadas will blow your mind. All of them grow up together and at the age of 13, every single one of them comes out of the Earth in dramatic fashion.

"The thing is, for extra drama, all of the cicadas are completely synchronized with one another, so every single 13-year-old cicada emerges from the ground, simultaneously flies around, has a massive party, sheds their exoskeletons, makes a massive mess, then dies," Fry said.

Cicadas live for about four to six weeks during which time they feed, mate, lay eggs and eventually die.

When will the next joint cicada explosion happen?

While, as mentioned above, the last joint explosion of cicadas happened 221 years back, the next is slated to happen in the year 2445. So this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime event.