NEW YORK, June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. experts said they are preparing for millions of cicadas to surface from six inches underground along much of the East Coast for the first time in 17 years.
The elusive insects, known for their deafening mating calls, live a short life above ground as they emerge for less than a month to take part in mating season, The New York Post reported Thursday.
Experts say they are anxiously anticipating the impending emergence of Brood XIV -- which appears in areas reaching from Georgia to Massachusetts -- because they will be able to follow up on how the populations have been affected by the development of their forest habitats.
"Cicadas have survived millions of years, even through ice ages, so if they are moving toward extinction, that is a concern," said John Cooley, an entomologist at the University of Connecticut.
