While the world was already expecting the “Brood X cicadas” to emerge for the first time in 17 years, experts are warning that something much worse is coming.
“While trillions of cicadas bursting through the ground sounds horrifying to most, that might not be the worst part of this phenomenon,” writes MSN News.
According to experts, the last cicada emergence led to a significant uptick in rat infestations due to the fact that rats love to eat cicadas. In 2004, the last time the cicadas emerged, there were 436 rat complaints compared to just 60 in the previous year. The problem is, once the cicadas are done mating aboveground, the rats will have to find food elsewhere.
“Rats are pests, and they are always on the lookout for food. Bugs like cicadas taste good to them. The problem with this is that cicadas go away after their life cycle is complete within around two months,” says Ryan Smith, an entomologist and pest control expert. “So, rats will be left without bug food, forcing them to find other sources of food, such as your garbage—or worse, inside your home.”
Ed Spicer, CEO of Pest Strategies, agrees with Smith’s conclusion, stating: “Spring tends to be a time when rodent populations grow. This is due to increased warmth and food availability, which give the offspring a greater chance at survival. It’s very, very likely we’ll see a boom in rat populations in conjunction with the cicada emergence because of the spring weather and the readily available food source.”
Though most cicadas don’t follow an exact timeline, periodical cicadas like Brood X do. After spending 17 years underground, they emerge under certain conditions: “on just the right spring day, when soil temperatures reach 64 degrees Fahrenheit, the nymphs, all together, burrow their way to the surface and make their mass emergence,” reports USA Today.
Unfortunately, according to John Cooley, an entomologist at the University of Connecticut studying periodical cicadas, “you can’t spray enough pesticide to kill them all without also wiping out everything else in the environment.”
There are 15 states where the cicadas will be emerging: Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.
Experts warn residents of each of these states to be prepared for the emergence of these cicadas, and the eventual surge in the rat population.
