‘Wall of sound’: Cicadas cause ruckus in Piedmont Triad

DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) – Cicadas are starting to emerge and make their rare appearance in central North Carolina.

You have probably heard that sound and maybe even seen the large bugs with big red eyes. They are not dangerous to people or pets. In rare occasions, they can cause damage to plants, but the biggest impact is the noise.

You can really hear the loud hum while driving through the country roads in Davidson and Randolph Counties. In a neighborhood in Thomasville, people say they are enjoying their new cicada neighbors.

“It is neat to be a part of it, and a lot of people I work with say they don’t hear it at their house, so it is kind of neat we get to hear them right here,” said Jerri Lewis.

She says she first noticed the noise a few weeks ago.

“I didn’t expect it to sound like this … It doesn’t even sound like bugs … It sounds like an electrical panel or an alarm going off,” Lewis said.

The cicadas mind their own business and don’t bug people or pets.

“I don’t think they really phase the dogs and cats, but they have landed, and the chickens have enjoyed them for a little snack … Hopefully, they are full of protein,” Lewis said.

“There is so much protein in these cicadas,” said Dr. Daniel Greene, a biology professor at High Point University.

Greene says this time is a great learning opportunity for all generations.

“They are doing a great job at what they do, and we are just kind of in their world for the moment,” Greene said.

Cicadas spend more than 99 percent of their lives underground. This is their one opportunity to mate, and that’s why you hear the constant mating call.

“One cicada on its own is very loud, but when you have as many as can emerge from the ground, it ends up being a wall of sound,” Greene said.

A few weeks after they lay the eggs, the adults die off, and the eggs hatch and fall to the ground. They stay there in the soil for the next 13 years before they emerge to start the cycle over.

“There are so many bugs that you don’t even know about, but it is so cool to see something like the cicada or just hear it. That way you know all this nature around me has so much life,” said Jessica Stalvey, an educator at the Greensboro Science Center.

In central North Carolina, we will see the annual cicadas come out as well as the 13-year cicadas.

We can expect to hear the noise continue for a few months, and the noise will have the biggest impact.

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