By Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON, W.Va. — Trillions of insects known for their bizarre appearance and their constant noise are expected to start emerging this month in parts of West Virginia and Virginia, but exactly where they will appear this year will vary.
Often referred to as 17-year-locusts, cicadas emerge when the weather conditions and the ground temperature is right. Some cicada species emerge from the ground annually while others take almost two decades to mature, emerge and reproduce.
A surge of cicadas dubbed Brood X by entomologists is expected this year, and it’s expected to have trillions of individuals; however, not every county in West Virginia will see them, according to Carlos Quesada, an extension assistant professor with the WVU Extension Service. This huge number of insects is expected to appear in the state’s eastern panhandle. Huge numbers of cicadas are not expected in Mercer, McDowell and other southern West Virginia counties.
“They will emerge in Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan and Hardy counties,” Quesada said. “They could start between now to the end of the month when the soil 8 inches below the surface reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Once they start emerging, they last for about six to eight weeks.” …
