Good Enough to Eat: Trillions of Screeching Cicadas Get a Head Start

The cicadas have arrived. Slightly earlier than predicted, but the first bugs have been reported in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. In the coming weeks, two distinct bug broods, which usually emerge in separate years but in 2024 their disparate cycles are in sync, will infest the US southeast and midwest.

In South Carolina, the noise has disturbed the peace to the extent that people are calling the cops. “We have had several calls about a noise in the air that sounds like a siren, or a whine, or a roar. The sound is cicadas,” the Newberry County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. “Although to some, the noise is annoying, they pose no danger to humans or pets. Unfortunately, it is the sounds of nature.”

It will be a little messy and a lot noisy, but for the most part the dual invasion will be harmless. The bugs are not toxic and do not sting. Dogs enjoy feasting on the crunchy exoskeletons with predictable results for overeating.  

Humans can sauté the delicious arthropods in olive oil, dusted with a dash of  Old Bay seasoning. Ohio State University retired chef Jim Warner advises restraint on any further flavorings: “But please don’t use ranch dressing. After all, they’ve been waiting 17 years for this big dance, and you shouldn’t humiliate them one last time. A bit of extra virgin olive oil, some fresh lemon juice and a few cracks of black pepper will do just fine.”

The cicadas may be harmless, but they’re still kind of creepy. They will number in the trillions, with an estimated 10% of them infected with a fungal parasite that takes over their bodies, turning them into zombies or, as mycologist Matt Kasson tells CNN, “saltshakers of death.” The fungus, called Massospora cicadina, contains chemicals like those found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.

A mass of fungal spores builds up in the abdomen until the back end falls off, leaving In its place “a clump of spores that are erupting out of where the genitals and abdomen once were,” Kasson explains. “It looks like there’s a gumdrop that’s been dropped in chalk dust, glued to the backside of these cicadas.”

Sounds bad but that’s more of a cicada problem. The fungus is harmless to the creatures that feed on infected bugs, including birds, mammals, reptiles, and even fish. These predators are about to be treated to a massive buffet.

Photo credit: Michael Kropiewnicki / Creative Commons