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FEATURES MAY6, 2004 - Page 6 The cicadas are coming ....."Carry a broom" KENBERTKAU insects." daughter taking the dead STAFF WRITER These cicadas spend shells and putting them on mbst of their 17years two feet my pillow - she was in grade Spring semester - the sun underground feeding on sap school," said Patricia Will- is out, the birds are singing, and from tree roots. By mid-May, iams, director of financial aid the grass and sidewalks will they'll all emerge for an ap- at McDaniel College. "I also soon be covered by cicadas. proximate 5-week lifespan remember going to Noisy, bustling cicadas. That's above ground, and most of Catonsville one day and see- right, the 17-year cicadas will that time will be spent climb- ing a whole telephone pole soon blanket McDaniel cam- ing to a high spot, calling covered with them - and the pus. mates, and mating. noise. It's all amazing." Within a matter of weeks, Females will lay the "These insects may not these pesky insects will be in eggs - the next generation, be harmful to me, but the the trees, in your hair, and that will hatch approximately ninety decibels that they can you'll hear them everywhere. six weeks later, fall to the reach may be a little annoy- Also identified as a locust, the ground, burrow, and then ing," said Dr. Bryn Upton, as- "Periodical Cicada" surfaces wait until the year 2021 to sistant professor of history. every seventeen years, prima- emerge.according to infor- "I have seen pictures in rily in the Maryland and Penn- mation provided online by which the locusts look like a sylvania area. Iowa State University'S De- fog, it will be interesting to "I remember the noise, partment of Entomology. see how they interfere with and I remember seeing the "It is an amazing phe- life on campus and what the shells the outer skins stuck on nomenon to see these things school will do to deal with the trees and fence posts," said in action, the way they live them" said Adam Mallonee, Mary 10 Colbert, conference their lives and the mating a Sophomore Biology major. services director. "I'm from the rituals that they have are un- Perhaps Dr. Donna south, and people used to say like any others that I have Evergates. associate profes- they didn't see how Icould live seen," said Dr. Paul Miller,as- sor of history, has the best ad- PHOTO COURTESY OF BROODWEAR.COM with the crickets. Well,cicadas sistant professor of history. vice: "Everyone might want can outnoise any normal night "I remember my to carry a broom."