A silly site about cicadas. Here's a taste:
FACT: Cicadas are vicious killers.FACT: Cicadas prey on innocent children and pets.
FACT: Cicadas are seething with deadly venom and flesh-eating bacteria.
FACT: This year Cicadas in Cincinnati will kill more people than snakes, spiders, scorpions, and sharks combined!
Having experienced one of these cicada infestations, I can attest that while truly biblical in scope, the bugs themselves are actually harmless. They're not the most graceful of flyers, and it does sometimes seem like they're trying to kamikaze you, but aside from the shock of a giant bug suddenly smacking you in the face they don't actually hurt. However, they do produce the most deafening noise I've ever heard outside a rock concert or power plant. I don't know what it's like in a urban setting like Cincinnati, but in Athens (Ohio) the trees were at times completely covered with the little red-eyed buggers, with every single one singing it's little heart out. They had a clip on NPR last weekend talking about them, but the audio didn't really capture it. Imagine millions of tiny Jim Carreys perched in the trees all making that sound from "Dumb & Dumber" at the top of their lungs, and maybe you'll capture it.
Posted by Jason at May 18, 2004 01:46 PM