The dreaded 17 year Cicadas

[wildwest450]

Wow, those things are noisy! It sounds like war of the worlds outside my house. It's a good thing their harmless or we'd be screwed. Anyone else have these noisy critters?

 

[Demon]

They were out last year by me. Luckily none near my house since it is a new development, but my parents house was swarmed with them.

 

[Glibbidy]

While crickets and cicadas sing, a rare and different tune, Terrapin station.

 

[BigKahuna]

people eat them...
Could you ferment them?

 

[david_42]

I remember them from my childhood. Don't have them out here & if we did, I suspect the moles would eat most of the larva. At least in my meadow!

 

[BrewWench]

Oh I love them! They're hilarious. They have to be the worst fliers ever, just bumping into stuff. I haven't heard any here yet, but their sound reminds me of summer.

 

[Hopleaf]

We get these giants wasps which kill cicadas:

 

[Greggy]

Those ba$tard$ were out in IL last summer when I visited for a wedding. I couldn't believe the noise they put out.

Greg

 

[brauhaus]

Oh I love them! They're hilarious. They have to be the worst fliers ever, just bumping into stuff. I haven't heard any here yet, but their sound reminds me of summer.

+1 to that!

 

[cubbies]

We get these giants wasps which kill cicadas:

Holy freaking Jesus. Those are some big wasps. They have big ole honkin wasps by my grandmas house in Kentucky, but they are just really long. Otherwise they look like a normal wasp. I have never seen a wasp like that. Wow.

Oh, and no, no cicadas here yet.

 

[blacklab]

We get these giants wasps which kill cicadas:

Gawdamn, those are big. They almost look like the would have trouble flying. Do they carry more venom? Will they whack you?

 

[beergears]

Wow, a wasp the size of your thumb.

Have these been around for a while, or are they new to the area?

Invasive specie?

 

[zoebisch01]

I love the way they sound tbh.

 

[Homercidal]

Damn! Thams some bigass bees!

FWIW - You can roast the cicadas and eat them. They are very nutritious, so I hear.

 

[brauhaus]

those wasps only call for one thing.... batting practice... or running...

if i saw those flying around here I'd hightail it to my car, office, home, etc.

**edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_killer_wasp

after reading that article i'd probably just ignore them since they are pretty harmless to humans... they can't even bite... jerks.

 

[ScubaSteve]

There's millions of them around Indiana. You can't get away from that noise, and their bodies completely cover the ground. They fall out of the trees and onto your head and shoulders if you're not careful.....creepy! Good thing they don't bite, or it'd be like Night of the Living Dead....

 

[Focus]

The image of those wasps will haunt my dreams forever...

 

[z987k]

we had the 17 year ones last year, but the yearlies are out now.