Photo Album: Massive Swarm of Brood X Cicadas in Somerville, NJ
Looks like Brood X cicadas have arrived in Somerville, NJ
Cicadas in the Back
As I was treating this home, I noticed that the backyard was filled with Brood X cicadas.
Brood X Cicadas?
They're called Brood X because periodical cicadas emerge in huge groups called broods. Broods are differentiated with Roman numerals, and Brood X is the 10th brood experts have tracked.
The Males Make All the Noise
The male cicadas are the ones that make all the noise. Their annoying buzzing - which entomologists refer to as "singing" - is what attracts the females of the same species to reproduce in the trees.
Leave the Cicadas Be
This may be a massive swarm, but they pose no threat to humans or the plant life around the property and, since they are an ornamental pest, we will leave them alone.