The United States is currently bracing for a cicada infestation on a scale not seen in 221 years.
• Read also: Will the rare invasion that threatens the United States affect Canada?
According to estimates by Étienne Normandin, entomologist at the University of Montreal, billions… billions of cicadas are expected.
The infestation will be spread across 16 US states. According to the specialist, who will be in the United States to see the show, it is an event not to be missed, as was the recent solar eclipse.
“It happens because cicadas – from their name, periodical cicadas – stay in the earth for 13 years and 17 years respectively, so there are 7 species of periodical cicadas which will all emerge at the same time in a few weeks,” explains M. . Normandin.
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All cicadas, even those that live in Quebec, spend a significant part of their lives underground.
In Quebec, cicadas spend between three to four years underground feeding on the sap of the roots around them, explains the entomologist.
This year, the infestation will be particularly significant since all species of cicadas will emerge at the same time.
“It’s also a strategy to go out en masse, in large numbers like that, because the birds, the predators will be force-fed, will no longer be hungry, and all the survivors will be able to mate,” explains Mr. Normandin. .
For all the details, listen to the full interview with entomologist Étienne Normandin in the video at the beginning of the article.
