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The Cicadas Are Coming To Westport After 17-Year Slumber

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. - After hanging out underground sucking sap out of the roots of trees and bushes, the 17-year periodic cicadas are about to emerge in Fairfield County.

The 17-year periodical cicadas are about to emerge from the ground after their long slumber.

The 17-year periodical cicadas are about to emerge from the ground after their long slumber.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons user USDAgov
Once they emerge, the cicadas will molt, leaving behind their empty skins.

Once they emerge, the cicadas will molt, leaving behind their empty skins.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons user Becks

The bugs are capable of producing massive populations in localized areas. As many as 1.5 million in a single acre have been reported. Even so, they stay in groups, so it's possible to see many in some areas, and none in others.

"It can be like raking leaves in the fall, except instead of leaves, it’s dead cicada bodies," cicada researcher Dan Mozgai told National Geographic.

Sightings have already been reported on Long Island and in New York City according to WNYC's Cicada Tracker website. The insects are expected to emerge in groups all along the eastern seaboard, from North Carolina to Connecticut. 

They only come up once the ground temperature rises to approximately 64 degrees. One user of the WNYC Cicada Tracker reported 57 degrees in Westchester last week.

Once they do emerge, they will quickly molt, leaving their hard shells behind. And they'll start buzzing at high decibels, as the male cicadas look to attract females to mate with.

Visit magicicada.org or cicadamania.com for more information.

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