How Cicadas Work

good intro for this, No do you no? Just talkxicatas. This is what I was thinking. Um, I guess if you'd like me to give an intro, it would be something like, Chuck, have you ever experienced summer? I have in the South? Summer in the South? For me, Cicada's I associate cicada sicot h either one. You know what they say, Josh, what you say Cicada? I say Cicada. I say Cicada. Yeah it is Cicada. Actually, I have

a very quick funny story. I have a friend named Andrew who had a friend who tried out as a singer for some Broadway show or something, and she did that song, but she did not had never heard the song, I think, and she sang, you say potato, I say potato, and didn't know. And that was how she auditioned, like she just had read it, she guess. So she got it wrong or read it or something, and it was, you know, potato, potato, tomato, tomato. And I got a

good laugh out of the people. That's a good story, Yeah, I thought so. I've always that's a good one. Andrews listening, He probably not. Hello, Hey, how's it going? Alright? So moving on? Sorry cicadas, Yes, cicada. I think we should agree to say cicadas. Well, it is cicada. I was just cooving, okay. Um, And if you're talking about cicada you have probably a certain type of mind. But there are actually, there are a number of species I've seen

anywhere between two depending on who you ask. There you go, um and uh, the one though that that I think everybody thinks of when they think cicada, especially when they think cicada infestation. As um, the magic acada is the species name. Yeah, it's uh, their periodical cicadas. And that's what we're going to be concentrating on, right, And those are the ones that are all over the news. If you're on the Eastern seaboard right now, you've been hearing

them or hearing about them. Cicada invasion, Cicada invasion. And in fact, if you go to uh, magic Cicada, that's all I say it. I like magic Acada dot org. There's a there's a map there that shows you where they are currently hatching. Yeah, they have a lot of great resources on that site. Yeah. People get really excited because it's such a weird, freaky unique thing. Yeah, it is. That happens every or well that's not true. It happens,

you know, more frequently. But each brood we'll hatch every seventeen or thirteen years, right, it happens every year, depending on the type of brood. Exactly, Um this year. Yes, we're in brood too. And there are two two types of um broods, or two types of periodic broods. And by the way, periodic broods, the ones that emerge after thirteen years or seventeen years, are native and indigenous only to North America. Oh yeah, yeah, so it's like our

special thing. Yeah. So if you're talking about Cicada Invasion two thus thirteen to a British person or gear and be like, I don't know what you're talking about, but um oh we should say, chuck, We're going to be a part of this in our own way. Yeah, we're gonna be on the TV for Science Channel Cicada Invasion

two thousand thirteen on Sunday. Right. Yeah, they're doing lots of cool programming and they have gotten us to provide some little bumpers and moments in between with a cool professor that's going to be and he is, and with propetor Mike. Yeah, my professor, Mike Route. He is the foremost, um utmost and foremost steam expert on um cicadas and he's Maryland terrapists that right, I believe. So alright, So yeah, it's called Cicadas and Invaders two thousand thirteen. It's on Sunday,

Science Channel. It goes from eight to eleven PM, but we're hosting the nine to eleven PM segment, which includes the dramatic climax. Yeah. But so we're gonna be there on Science Channel on that day, so go check it out. So we know a lot about cicadas, and this is why that's right. So um again you said, uh, magic cicada. I like magic acada for that, but um, the seventeen

year brewed species is what's coming out along the eastern seaboard. Um. And they're going to be eventually black with orange veined wings and red eyes. Yeah, generally they have red eyes, although, um, you can occasionally spot a very rare blue eyed or silver eyed. Um, but you cannot get money for those. Did you hear about that rumor? In two thousand and four, I think there was a rumor that Johns Hopkins was paying money for blue eyed cicadas if you could find them,

and they were like, no, no, stop bringing those. It's neat and it's rare, but we're not offering money up for this, but thank you. We'll take them for free, those suckers. But generally they're a little Steve A. Simon looking red eye things, you know. And and we should also say, here's what the big deal is. This is why it's called like invaders in the invasion in Cicada apple apocalypse. I just made that one up two thousand

thirteen from people who don't live here. Um, this happens with the brood like every seventeen years, and broods are incredibly well synchronized, and there are billions of these things, and because they're synchronized, billions of cicadas are going to all emerge from the ground pretty much at once in an air. Yeah. In fact, Professor Ralph himself was quoted in a thing I read today said, Um, there's a boatload.

There could be a billion per square mile, dude, right, not a billion overall, like a billion in your like you and your neighbors backyards. Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah, I think it's more like one and a half million per acre at its peak. So you and three other neighbors you got one and a half million. So rap was wrong. No, he said a square mile. Okay, square mom, Yeah, no he's not. I don't think he's wrong about anything that has the cads. Um. Yeah, we haven't met him yet.

We're leaving in a couple of days. Actually, in the real time, we have high hopes. Yeah, of course, So I guess you want to talk about what these guys look like. Guys and gals look like alright, aside from the orange veins, that's right. Um, they are in the order him up tera, which anything has piercing and sucking mouthparts is in that order, right, And um, you got a wingspan between two and a half centimeters to fifteen And have you seen the big ones, man, they're huge,

like palm in your hand. Big. Yeah. The ones in the tropics are are up to like six inches long their body, not their wingspan. That's crazy. Um, they are bad flyers. I guess I'm gonna just guess here and say because they're not around long, they're not a lot of experience. They're probably kind of heavy, yea, you know, they're not very aerodynamic heavy for their wings. And um, I think you just kicked up point one of what makes cicada's the affable, lovable member of the insect goose

balls that they are. They have two sets of wings one two pairs of wings, and they can't fly very well. So that's no, that's one. Yeah, they have the outer wings are glassy and transparent, and they're longer and they covered the shorter opaque wings, and um, they look formidable when you look at the wings are all vany and like they look sturdy. Yeah they're not. They're not. They're not for the icadus. Here's the other funny thing. They have three pairs of legs, but they're not good jumpers

even though they try to. Yeah, all their legs are about the same length, so they're kind of clumsy. They can't fly very well. They can't jump very well, that's the point to. So they have those big goofy red eyes, and then they have three compound eyes and three tiny little eyes and uh in between on the top of their head called ossily and they of course watch for

the birds and other predators that lurk above. Right, So they have the really great peripheral vision from the compound eyes on the side and then great I guess airborne vision worms eye vision, that's right. And a couple of little bristle like antenna behind the little um asila assily eyes. I guess that would be repetitive to say or redundant say assily eyes, because that's what they are, but you

know what I'm saying. Then they have those mouthparts that we mentioned, and they are in a sheath, a beak like sheath called labium, which they just tuck there between their legs unless they need to use it, which is what they do in there. They eat that um that sheath flabium holds four little um stickers called stylet's their their needle like, and they jam it into the plant or like the leaf and they just suck it up like a straw. That and reproduction is that's the point

of the cicada's life. Yeah, well that's what they did. Reproduction in those really the point, you know what I'm saying. They like to they like to do it. They're like recipute and uh boy, people can be like that's a random thing to say. Weeks later you'll understand. So they're famous though for uh, not only for their weird seventeen year or thirteen year emergence, but they're loud, loud singing, and before we go on to describe it, we might as well just hear it, don't you think so? A

brief little audio bit here from Jerry. This is the Kada singing. Jerry's gonna make a cicada call. That was really good, Jerry, Uh and really good, Mr Cicada. And I say mr. Because it's only the men that are singing. The males. Why do they sing? Well, two reasons, to attract females to mate and to scare off birds. Because it is so freaking loud. It will scare off birds. So, um, this it is extraordinarily loud. The cicada call the males

mating songs, especially when they get together. And I've seen, yeah, I've seen that. Doctor Mike said that it was recorded at like ninety four decibels, which is like a standing next to a lawnmower. But basically, but if this is this is a sound made by an insect, and it's everywhere. It fills the air for someone who hasn't experienced to like a chorus of male cicadas all singing together, it's everywhere.

It's really loud. And in fact, you said lawnmower. The females can actually be attracted to lawnmars and weed eaters. Is that right? Yeah, that's crazy. And just to give you an idea, between eighty and ninety decibles is when the threat of hearing loss begins. Um, and like you said, lawn mowars, and about one twenty as a rock concert, about one forty as a jet engine. And these things

are a little tiny insects. But remember that. And again Dr Mike said, uh, ninety four was what he'd seen recorded. But I have also read up to a hundred and twenty decibles. Yeah, that's really really loud. Yeah, And apparently you can get so high that humans can't hear them. But if your dog is going berserker, you're in like North Carolina or Maryland or something, that might be why. And yeah, the smaller species make higher pitched ones. I guess,

So how are they doing this? Oh? Well, um, they have Actually a lot of people think that it's a chirp, maybe like a cricket rubs its legs together. You would be wrong. We should say that cicadas are closer to aphids than crickets, right, um. And they're also not using any vocal cords because they lack those. What they do have are these little membranes on the sides of their abdomens.

And these membranes are they're called timbles, and they're connected to um well, I guess they're inside by a little muscle, right, And when the muscle contracts, the timble bends increased forms in it, and then when the muscle relaxes, the timble goes back to taught again and that makes a clicking sound. And if you do that a bunch of times, what you have is the cicada song. Yeah, and they don't know why it's so loud or how it's so loud. Um,

I did read something. I'm not sure if it's verified that there are like, uh pockets in the abdomen that make it louder or something. But still such a small insect. I mean, it's like I said, it can be big, but that's still an insect, right. And this sound, like you said, it messes with birds. Um. It can scare them off, but it can also even the ones that aren't scared off. It prevents birds from hunting and packs because they can't communicate with one another because it's so loud.

So it's also a defense mechanism. It's a mating call, and apparently certain species make a certain sound to prevent I guess interspecial mixing. Well, they want to be with their own kind, you know, right, because they don't have too many shots at this And they're doing all this um up in the trees, right. Yeah. And it's usually during the heat of the day when the when this music is going on. You say music, I say chainsaw. Uh. Oh does it bother you? I think it's so soothing.

Have you ever been among the invasion? Yeah? It it to me it's not soothing because it's so loud and so continuous that it's sort of like drives me mad. Actually it's neat though. It's cool because you know it's gonna end and it crests and it falls, and it crests and it falls, you know, so like you know it's gonna I just think it's really neat. It is neat. Um. So it is so loud though. They even have a

protection protective measure for themselves. Um. Males and females have these mirror like membranes, a pair of them called timpana, and they're sort of like their ears, and basically there's a short tendon connected and when they're shouting out with their call, they will retract the tendon and it basically just sort of creases and closes their ears so they don't have to hear. Right, it's like shuts it. Yeah, it's like a little they're like one of the mechanical function.

Yeah exactly. Um, alright, so let's talk about the mating and the you know, the egging and the ovipositive thing. So this is this is like pretty much the whole reason a cicada comes to life. This is why they invade is to mate and reproduce. Right. So, once the males have attracted some females over like, they'll they search for one another. They do some terrible jumping and some bad flying and hey mama, they'll finally come up upon one another and be like, I like you, I like you,

And then they go off. And after they mate, the female um carves some notches into the stoma of plants and yeah, and then uses her ovipositor, which is an egg laying appendage, and um deposits up to six eggs in one little session. And then um the eggs start to hatch and they actually fall down out of the tree as larva, these little nymphs. Yeah, okay, so their nymphs then and they so they go through the larval stage in the tree and then fall down out as nymphs.

And then they burrow. Yeah, they immediately root underground as a protective measure, and then they start growing and repeatedly shutting their skin over seventeen years seventeen years, So think about this. A the average cicada lives seven in teen years.

If it's a periodic seventeen years cicada, it's average lifespan is seventeen years underground and then two months above ground and then they die, Yeah, like four to six weeks generally, So like they spend almost all their life as young immature cicadas getting ready to be adults for two months or less so they can reproduce ones and then nuts.

It is nuts. It's pretty neat. Though. If you don't have cicadas and you're like, what's going on, it means you probably don't have a lot of deciduous trees where you are. Yeah, they like fruit trees to yeah. Um, so don't get bummed out. Dis go visit your neighbor if they have some you've gotten yoaks uh. And the question why are they under there for so long? There are a bunch of theories. I can't wait to talk to the professor Mike though in a couple of days.

But the leading theory I've heard is that it's like in evolutionary rhythm that they developed to not get eaten avoid predators. Now, that is why there are billions of these things in a square mile or two, and it's because they have relatively few predators underground. There's a type of fungus that that can attack them, and it can

be transferred from generation to generation. There are beetle larva that will eat them, but for the most part they're out of the grasp of like their their main predators, like birds or whatever. So they do manage to survive, but then so many of them come up and die like very quickly that actually something called predators satiation comes about, which means that like the birds just fly off because they're so full they can't eat anymore. And it still

doesn't significantly impact the number of cicadas. Yeah, there's still enough afterward to mate and keep the species alive. And yeah, like you're tired of eating us yet, I'm so full of cicadas, Like, fine, now we'll mate. Yeah, let's get it on. The birds are full, apparently a lot of more born cripple, yeah, especially thanks to long chemicals. Yeah, and uh, have you ever there's a time lapse on YouTube of one coming out. It's uh exoskeleton. It's pretty

pretty awesome. So we should say when they when they emerge from their burrows on their chimneys, little mud chimneys. Right, they're adults, but they're called tenoral adults. They're not quite to the adult stage yet. What happens is they have to mold. They're exoskeleton, which you'll find like attached to a tree or something like that. Yeah, which are you know, it's cool and crazy. Oh, it's super cool. Yeah. And then once they mold, then that's the last time they're

going to Then they're full fledged adults. And then they have like four to six weeks. Yeah maybe, like that's if you successfully make it through bird season and get the mate. Like a lot of these guys die, like

you know, within days or weeks. And they dig themselves out too, with little little shovels on their it's almost like shovels on their legs and they just dig up and they're like, hey, we're here, yep, look out for that birdom already dead or oh shoot, I'm crippled or man, I can't fly seventeen years and I can't fly and here comes a bird. And apparently one of the one of the things that will kill a cicada is incomplete molting, Like they'll just get stuck and die. That's gonna be

a bad way to go, Yeah, I guess. I mean, since there's billions of them, there's all manner of like awful things and most of them, so we should say cicadas are known for just huge infestations, invasions, whatever you want to call it, on a thirteen year seventeen year cycle. And there's so many of them all at once because there's so many of them a but also because they're

like in synchronicity. And they think the reason why they all emerge usually at night, all at once is because they're all following the same que and they're pretty sure it has to do with ground temperature. Yeah, they think that because evolutionary um rhythm, well they and I think it's probably tied together like that rhythm is based on the temperature changes, and then there would have to be some sort of rhythm because the temperature is gonna hit.

I think when the temperature averages starts to every sixty four degrees fahrenheight in the ground, that's when you're gonna start to see cicada's emerging. But that's gonna happen seventeen times or sixteen times before that seventeenth year, so there does have to be some other pattern that they're following so they don't emerge sooner, right, But it's just one dude. They were at the front. This's like you know, Ralph the old man. Alright, guys, it's been seventeen years. Let's

do it. Let's do this thing. Uh and you mentioned the temperature change, but that that makes sense because uh, they they hatch you know, from a southerly south southerly to northernly northerly or northernly. Uh southerly northerly. Yeah, let's hears up the coast. Okay, Yeah, like you'll see him in Georgia first, and then North Carolina and then Virginia and then d C and then all the way up the Hudson Valley of New York apparently. So if you were in Philadelphia or DC or New York City even

you might see some cicadas this year. Yeah, there's a mathematical formula for predicting wind. You'll see cicadas in your neck of the woods. So you go to weather underground dot com and you find out you go on their almanac and look at April and you figure out what the average April temperature was in Celsius right back down. And then here's the mathematical formula E, which is the

emerging state in May. Number E equals parentheses nineteen point six five minus t, which is that average April temperature and celsus divided by zero point five one three six. That number will give you the date that the cicadas are going to emerge around your area. And apparently it's tried and true. Or you can go to magic Magic Cicada dot org and click on the map. If you're not in a math and you like pictures, or if you like both, do both. Yeah, that's true. Um, I

don't think I have anything else. I would definitely go look up that time lapse on YouTube. It's pretty cool. I've got more, all right, Well, you know how I said that they're this kind of the stumbly bumbly lovable, affable creatures of the insect world. So not only can they not fly very well, they can't jump very well. They genuinely lack defenses. Aside from their call, they can't do anything well. They don't buy it or sting people,

even though they look scary. They don't carry disease. They prey on trees, only their herbivores, if you can call an insect that. But even if a tree um flags is what it called it like, becomes weakened from too many cicadas feeding on it trees still bounce back, so they kill nothing while they're alive. Sure, you don't need to be afraid of them. They look intimidating. But if they land on you, like hold them in your hand. Well, even still, even if you hold them in the hand,

a male will make a defensive buzzing. That's kind of scary, and you can scary. It's all. It's all show, it's all talked. They're not gonna buy you, they're not gonna sting you. Um, they're really sweet little little boogers, and I welcome them. That's yeah. If also you welcome them into your belly or you want to. There's a lot of cicada recipes out there. I have a bad feeling we're gonna be asked to eat some of this stuff.

Is that right? It's possible. I guess everyone's gonna have to tune in on Sunday, May twenty to find out. I'm not as adventurous as you are when it comes to eating things. Speaking a cookie, I would try it. I don't think they do that. I think it's more like you know, no, no, you mean made cicada cookies. And she said tastes like cookie. Well, but I think the traditional way is to like eat them like you would crickets, like to put them in a pan with some salt. I know. I saw some like serious in

depth recipes. Yeah, I mean, sure you could grind up cicadas and put them in lasagna or your pizza or whatever. I didn't see ground up. I saw blanched tenoral adults. Yeah, so you want to get them before like there. Really she said it was fine, but she didn't grind him up. She just put like a whole cicada in the cookie. I don't know how she made them like that. Maybe

broke them up. Interesting because I didn't get the impression that it was like, yeah, she's just when she was just kind of like, yeah, I mean, there's nothing really, so I would imagine that they were broken up in some way. I don't think, or maybe it's like the eminem cookies. You just stick it in the top when it's right. I saw those two, you know, Yeah, it's

just a little disgusting treat in the middle. So I should probably wait for them to die of natural causes, maybe an incomplete mold to grab some of those in and bake them there you go, or kids grab grab some exoskeletons because they look neat and they look just like the like, you know, the shell of the cicada. So but you know, bring one of those to school

and build on your friend. Yeah. And if you get into this and you find it very thrilling, there's a lot of citizens science projects around where um that has to do with counting cicadas, measuring cicadas, UM, trying to do cicada calls. I just made that last one up, but you could do that and if you want him. There's a culture surrounding this exact it's interesting to go online and look it up. Uh. If you want to

know more about cicadas. First of all, you can watch are special Cicators and Invaders two thousand thirteen on Science Channel on Sunday. Cicators like you're British and Invaders UM on Sunday from eight to eleven pm. And we're gonna be on nine to olympm on Science Ye. Uh. And since I just said that, it's time for message break, right, that's right, and then listen to mail. Uh And now it's time for listening. Yeah, I'm gonna call this uh truth Serum in Columbia. Remember we did that show on

truth Storm. Yes, all right, this is from CALAROI zerbos and listeners. Since two thousand eight is a great name, didn't it. Yeah, guys, you recently aired a podcast on the existence of a truth serum and mentioned the use of scopelamine. You also referenced the Vice TV article in which they claimed drug trapp or kers use it and shout out device. By the way, Yeah, we're gonna be

doing some bloggings for them soon. Good programming. Um, well, guys, I just want you to know I lived in Columbia for twelve years, loved every minute of it, and I've known several people who have been victims of scopelamine attacks. However, it is not drug traffickers who use this, but rather it's just fans of fieves and criminals. Drug traffickers actually do not need to attack random people to pull income.

It's the petty thieves who do. Um all occurred in the middle of the day in good neighborhoods of Bogata by well dressed, middle aged attackers. It's most commonly dusted onto a piece of paper, which is then handed to the victim by the culprit under the guise of asking for directions within ten and fifteen minutes. If you're out wide awake, compliant and unaware, but unable to remember what happened afterwards, you were also quite ill, and more often than not you end up in the hospital with your

stomach plot. Usually your bank account and valuables are emptied in your apartment. In one case, a friend of mine had his Empire apartment emptied of everything. Oh my god, and he was just sitting there the whole time. Basically, I guess so, man. Anyway, it's pretty frightening and at times lethal. Most Columbians therefore will not accept anything handed them on the street and in clubs, well, no one ever puts their drink down, if you know what I mean.

Thanks again with the excellent show. And that is again Calorie Servos, And that is frightening. Yeah. I bet when Columbians go to Vegas they're just like overwhelmed, you know, like on every sta corner, guys are handing trying to hand Oh yeah, yeah, I'll bet they freak out. Yeah, seriously, Uh, tell me the name again, Calorie Zervos. Thank you very much, Calorie Zervos. Calaroi and Calaroi Zervos k l e r o I. That's not calorie like counting Candar Caloroi Zervos.

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