Alien Cicadas
(Photo courtesy the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.) ALIENS ON EARTH? No, but 13-year cicadas certainly resemble something from your science- fiction nightmares. These spooky insects emerge only once in 13 years. When they do emerge, the males create the unique sound that attracts mates. Then the 13-year cycle starts again. Annual cicadas, typically seen in the summer, have brown-black bodies, black eyes and clear wings. The 13-year cicadas are much spookier. They have vivid red eyes, black bodies and clear wings with orange stripes. “The 13-year cicadas normally appear in heavily wooded areas, especially where lakes or streams are nearby,” Braman said. “What makes them so noticeable is their numbers and the unusual sound they make.” Dog-day or annual cicadas, much larger than their 13-year cousins, make noise, too. “But people are accustomed to it as background noise in trees on hot summer days,” Braman said. The good news for people living where 13-year cicada numbers are high is that cicadas work normal hours. “The males’ song begins in the morning and subsides in the evening,” Braman said. The males create the noise, she said, to attract the females. (You can hear cicadas on the World Wide Web at
All over Georgia, people have been reporting strange noises coming from the woods.”We’ve had people say they sound like an alien ship landing, a house alarm sounding and chain-saws cutting timber,” said Kris Braman, an entomologist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Thirteen-year cicadas definitely attract attention when they visit. Out of sight most of their lives, 13-year cicadas appear as adults — well, once every 13 years. When their numbers are high, their presence is unmistakable. As some may recall, 1985 was such a year. And as many rural residents can attest this year, they’re baaaack.