A House Fly on Steroids

I am here in Cincinnati, Ohio at one of our other locations to do some training. It has been nice, sunny and warm. Yesterday I finished up my day at the office about 6:30pm so I was one of the last people to leave the building. I walk outside and hear this noise that sounds like a giant electronic transformer humming. If you have ever been near a very large, high voltage, power line, you know the sound. Only thing is that you need to amplify that about 10 times to be at the volume of this sound. As I walk out onto the sidewalk the noise continues to grow and I notice that there are all of these bugs flying around the trees.

I keep walking across the parking lot to get to my car. These bugs are in every tree and the noise is incredible. The parking lot runs along the freeway with traffic passing only about 50 ft away, only a hedge of trees separates the parking lot from all the evening traffic but tonight all you hear is the bugs. I look down to see one of these things laying on the pavement and it is “A House Fly On Steroids”.

Some call them loud, ugly, smelly and annoying; but regardless of how people feel about cicadas, they have returned in force. Each brood usually emerges every 17 years when the ground temperature reaches about 65 degrees and usually only last 4-6 weeks until they return to hibernation and return 17 years later.

I guess in some cultures they eat these things. Anyone want me to bring you some in a baggie?