Cicadas in South Carolina are getting so rowdy that residents are reportedly calling the police to find out what is happening.
The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina posted on Facebook that they are getting calls about sounds of a “siren, or a whine, or a roar.” Not to worry, police explain, these are just the sounds of emerging cicadas.
The Cicada season has started in South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/KBRekRQnnL
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) April 24, 2024
“We have had several calls about a noise in the air that sounds like a siren, or a whine, or a roar,” police said. “The sound is cicadas. Cicadas are a super family of insects that appear each spring. The nymphs have lived underground for 13-17 years and now this time they are hatching. Although to some, the noise is annoying, they pose no danger to humans or pets. Unfortunately, it is the sounds of nature.”
The emergence of cicadas can come as a shock to many, as the infamous insects only emerge every so often. In fact, there will be two species (broods) of cicadas that emerge in the summer, Brood XIX, which only appears every 13 years, and Brood XIII, which appears every 17 years.
The boisterous bugs will emerge primarily in the Midwest, and also in southern states, due to warmer weather, according to CBS News. (RELATED: Sex-Obsessed ‘Zombie Cicadas’ Expected To Emerge
Why are cicadas so loud? According to WJCL, it’s the sounds of male cicadas calling to attract a mate.