The cicadas that play the reed and sing are actually quite intelligent animals. And it’s smart enough to even decide on lifespans!
But do these intelligent creatures appear in August because they love summer? Where do these insects, which we know with their famous chirping, disappear after August?
Cicadas actually have more interesting aspects than is known.
Known as periodic cicadas, these insects actually live underground for years. This is exactly why it is called periodic. After living under the ground for 13 or 17 years, they come out of the ground only to spend their life on earth for 4-6 weeks. They complete their wingless development under the ground by absorbing the sap in the plant roots.
Moreover, there are close to 2000 species. For an insect, this number is enormous. So why do they live underground for 13 and 17 years?
This issue has been studied by many scientists to date.
Mathematician Prof. Gleen Webb is one of the scientists who did this research. He became intrigued by the fact that there were many cicadas in a state he moved to. While cats, dogs, birds and many animals eat cicadas in the environment, the fact that this animal is completely harmless and inactive has led us to think about how it did not become extinct.
A study was carried out for these insects, which can reproduce in large numbers despite being eaten by many animals. Webb conducted a study that explored whether it would be possible for cicadas to live underground for 13-17 years at different times. He preferred non-prime numbers like 10-12 and 15 for life cycles in the study. As a result of his study, he saw that the population of cicadas would decrease in these periodic intervals.
It was concluded that the reason behind their 13 and 17 years of living under the ground was less encounters with animals.
It was determined that cicadas chose to come to the surface at a time when the probability of encountering birds and small animals with a life cycle of 2-5 years was minimized. But how do cicadas know what year they will land?
University of Connecticut’s Dr. Chris Simon, in another study, concluded that cicadas have molecular clocks that keep track of years based on changes in plant sap. Female beetles lay eggs by making small slits in thin branches. When the eggs are broken, the young come out and they fall into the ground and are buried in the ground. They also wait for years to come to the surface under the ground.
Their crowing is also related to mating, but how come they can make such a loud noise?
Cicadas sing, especially during mating season. Male insects try to attract females and introduce themselves with their chirping. Female beetles also try to attract males by making a chirping sound in response. These crowing sounds can differ between species and can help facilitate species introduction and mating processes.
Contrary to popular belief, this chirping sound does not come out of the mouth. Insects have a vocalizing organ in their flanks and tails. This organ is like a drum. In case of vibration with muscle movements, a crowing occurs.
Hot weather causes more energy expenditure.
Cicadas are very active, especially in hot weather, and we can associate their chirping behavior with temperature. Hot weather helps these insects to spend more energy by accelerating their metabolism and facilitating their movement. This can cause crowing sounds to be more common. However, we only hear about the species that emerge in August. Since there are different types of cicadas in every corner of the world, some crow at night, some during the day; some in summer, some in spring.
When you see a cicada that spends its few days on earth, don’t think it as a pest and kill it, because they are one of the most harmless and dormant insect species.
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