Hello steemians !!!
It is August and we are in the heart of the summer.
If you had to identify an insect with the summer what would that be? For me of course it is the cicada. For you?
The cicadas always reminds me the summer and my childhood, when I collected some of them.
Most of us surely have heard a cicada on top of a tree to sing during the summer. But how much do we know about this melodic insect's life?
You probably did not know that the cicadas:
- They live as worms below the earth from 4 to 17 years, depending on their type and location.
- From the moment they come to the surface of the earth, a few weeks later they die.
- Their synhronized chorus is among the loudest sounds in nature.
Let's learn more about the life cycle of the cicadas.
The females lay eggs, they punch deep holes into branches and deposit hundrends of eggs inside.
From eggs come larva, which descend from the trees, make holes in the ground near the roots in order feeded and there can live four years (in Greece) while other types of cicadas in other countries 13 to 17 years until it turned into normal nymphs, which after digging tunnel come to light.
Then the shell in which they are, inflates and pops out and comes out the young cicadas that lives only few weeks.
The mating frenzy peaks 3 to 4 weeks after the first cicada appears.
Although they are large enough for insects (2-5 cm), it is difficult to spot them, because their color is similar to the color of tree trunks.
The cicada has a special audio device that exists between the chest and the belly of the cicada through which this peculiar quaver is created. The device consists of two cavities separated by a thin film stretched. Each time that film is vibrating, the sound is produced.
Sing only males to attract females in their area. Measurements show that the sound they produce can reach 90 decibels and can be heard 800 meters apart.
Interesting video about cicadas' life
A Greek song about cicada
