Live Cicada Cam Shows How These Creepy Critters Interact
Live Cicada cams are available on the Internet to show what is happening with the winged flying insects as they migrate from Connecticut to Georgia.
The East coast is slowly succumbing to what some are dubbing "The Cicada Invasion 2013." Cicadas were last seen 17 years ago and are finally starting to emerge from the ground again.
The Science Channel launched their very own Cicada Cam for those who are interested in taking a sneak peek of the bugs and do not live on the East coast.
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The camera is live streaming the insects in a terranium to promote the Science Channel's new shows "Swarm Chasers" and "Cicada Invaders 2013," which premiered Sunday night.
The model the bugs are crawling across is a replica of the Capitol building in Washington D.C.
National Geographic says cicadas spend most of their life underground feeding on plant roots. They will emerge as nymphs after 17 years, and latch onto trees to shed their skin within a week. After losing their exoskeleton they become larger adult versions with stronger wings.
The male cicadas make a loud, high-pitched sound to interest their female counterparts. Once they mate, the cycle begins anew, with the eggs laid underground and the adults dying shortly afterwards.
Cicada deaths are great for the environment and trees as their bodies break down an fuel the trees.
"There are some pretty convincing reports coming out," John Cooley, an expert on cicadas at the University of Connecticut, told WebProNews. "It's fair to say it's starting, but it's still in the very early stages. It certainly isn't going all crazy. … When it really happens, it's not going to be like this. It's going to be shovel loads of cicadas."
He went on to talk about how this year may be the worst "we've seen" in a long time with numbers reaching in the billions. He blames the rainy and cold weather for the slow turnout so far.
"Within a week or so, it ought to really be going," Cooley said. "Spring can't hold off forever."
Their are more than 1,500 cicada species, according to ABC News.
See the live stream below.
