What’s new? For the first time since 1803, roughly one trillion Cicadas will appear across 16 states in the South and Midwest, including right here in Georgia. The Cicadas are expected to hit the Savannah area this spring. Spawning in the spring, the two cicada groups known as Brood XIX and Brood XIII will emerge at the same time, creating a once in a lifetime phenomenon. The two different Cicada groups are expected to appear at the same time in what’s known as a dual emergence.
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These bugs will live for a five-week period consisting of mating, laying millions of eggs then dying. The large number of Cicada carcasses that will litter the ground may pose an annoyance to pedestrians.
“In 1990, there were reports from people in Chicago having to use snow shovels to clear their sidewalks of the dead cicadas,” said the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The Cicadas have many benefits. Cicadas dig out of soil and leave holes behind that help aerate the soil. When the Cicadas die their bodies decompose and provide nutrients to soil and crops. Cicadas are also edible if you need an extra boost of protein. Students reported that Cicadas tasted like almonds, in 1990.
