Video of cicada invasion goes viral, thousands swarm home
Digital Reporter
Saturday, June 11, 2016, 4:39 PM - It looks like something out of a horror film. Thousands of cicadas have swarmed the home of the Smart family in Mansfield, Ohio.
Richelle Smart says she's never seen anything like it before. The red-eyed bugs have taken over the patio, fence, trees and the lawn.
"We've had thousands," Smart told Richland Source. "I'd say that's putting it at the minimum."
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Smart uploaded a video (above) of her son Dillon attempting to sweep up the mess on their front porch. It was published on June 3 and has since gone viral, with over 200,000 views.
Unfortunately, filling up two paper grocery bags full of cicadas was not enough as more of the insects returned overnight.
"I don't think I can handle another month of this," Smart said in a June 4 update on Facebook. "The expression on Dillon's face when he spent two hours cleaning them yesterday."
By June 6, the cicadas were so bad Smart decided to give up mowing her front yard.
"I officially give up on mowing my yard... these things want to jump on me and it is simply just not OK," Smart posted. "Plus not to mention the crunch every time I step in my yard."
Where are the insects coming from?
Billions of cicadas emerged from the ground in northeastern United States in May as part of their 17-year cycle.
They were born in 1999 and had spent over a decade and a half underground, according to Cicada Mania. The 17-year group are made up of three different species and as a whole are referred to as Brood V.
Once young cicadas hatch from their eggs, they dig to find plant roots to feed on. Underground, the insects are quite active by tunneling and feeding. They spend several early life stages buried before surfacing as adults.
They rise once the soil hits around 18oC. Often times a warm rain can trigger the emergence. Above ground, the cicadas mate and then die after a month or so.
The insects have hard shells, two red eyes and are about 1.5 inches in length. They are not known to bite or sting. Cicadas are best known for their loud humming sound. The noise is a mating cry by males produced with vibrating membranes on their abdomens.
SOURCE: Richland Source | Cicada Mania
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