'Cicada enthusiasts' from Norway make 4K mile trek just to see rare bug phenomenon

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Two men flew 4,000 miles to Illinois for a road trip to experience the cicadas.

Their post on the Illinois Cicada Watch Facebook page caught WBBM’s attention.

“We are two cicada enthusiasts from Norway,” they wrote.

Their names are Arnstein and Anders.

“We are driving around the state looking for hotspots for the various species,” they added.

WBBM caught up with them via Facetime while they were in Springfield.

“We come all the way from Norway just to experience this phenomenon, and we both work at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research,” Arnstein said.

“Since I work with cicadas in Norway, I thought, ‘Wow, I really should try to get this experience,’” Anders recalled. “I tried to convince Arnstein a bit.  He thought I was crazy, of course.”

Not any more.

They said they’ve had amazing experiences and they’ve seen all seven species.

The first day, 90 minutes after landing in Chicago, they had the best viewing of the trip near Governors State University in south suburban University Park.

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