Four years ago, 17-year cicadas, insects that are part of Breed X, covered all of central Ohio. Now they’re back, and this time southeastern Ohio is the target, as billions of them from Breed XIV are being released — much to the chargin of residents yet happy by dogs.
“What if you walked outside and found yourself inundated by flying Hershey’s Kisses?” asks Gene Kritsky, biology professor at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati as well as a cicada expert. “You eat them until you were full.”
Cicadas have covered the fence, front sidewalk, and bushes of Tamara Topken. They stomped underfoot, littering the ground with their empty shells and howling their mating calls from every nook and cranny.
“I’ve gone out there and I’ve actually hosed (the fence) off, and every day they are there” she said. “I have two little dogs and they have been absolutely gorging on the cicadas.”
Kritsky also said cicadas began emerging on June 11 and will stay until Independence Day, which is a week from Friday. He estimates that there’ll be between two and three million cicadas in southeastern Ohio — alone.
Milford, located northeast of Cincinnati, is an attraction for cicadas. Residents are leaving their homes and jobs and getting into their cars to avoid being divebombed, as experts confirmed that the climax will hit today.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
