There will be no need to listen closely for the song of the cicadas once “swarmageddon” is in full swing. Male cicadas produce their famous call by using structures called tymbals along their body that make a clicking sound when they rapidly expand and relax their abdomen.

After 17 years living underground as nymphs, they will emerge from the ground and shed their exoskeleton to become noisy adult cicadas. Billions are expected to emerge, and when they play their song together, it could be as loud as a motorcycle revving it’s engine or a NYC subway train!
Learn how you can build a detector and help track their movement here.

Learn how you can build a detector and help track their movement here.

Image of Magicicada septendecim (via CicadaMania.com)