If you get a case of the willies from seeing just one little bug, then you better brace yourself. A Yale entomologist has predicted several million cicadas will hatch in central Connecticut in May.
According to professor Charles Remington, 2.5 million of the chirping insects, representing 45 to 50 colonies, will emerge from the ground in late May. The hatch is causing a lot of excitement among scientists and naturalists alike.
Remington said what makes the cicada hatch particularly interesting is the insect's life cycle. "Their life cycle is probably more precise than any other biological system," he said. This species of cicada has a 17-year life cycle and even has a counter in its nervous system which enables it to adhere to its strict biological schedule.
The clock is so precise that Remington can even predict the exact day on which the insects will hatch. He said that, due to the sunlight on May 21, the cicadas will respond to light cues and emerge from the ground. "They all have to hatch within one day of each other," he said. The adult insects will then have two weeks to mate while they are above ground.
Remington, who has collected thousands of cicadas for the Peabody Museum, said a number of studies will be performed during this crucial period. In addition to counting the number of cicadas in a colony and isolating mitochondrial DNA from the insects, he and other scientists will test their "palatability." According to Remington, cicadas are "the most tasty insect in the world" to birds. He said the museum will also hold an event in which the insects will be boiled and fried to be taste-tested by him and others. Research on cicadas has become increasingly important due to a gradual decline in their population. Remington cited instances in which developers built malls and highways on lands containing existing cicada colonies. "They would probably never imagine that there were millions of juvenile cicadas underground," he said.
Evidence suggests further destruction of cicada colonies could drive the insect to extinction. "According to the records from the last two hatches, between five and 10 colonies were gone," Remington said.
Remington recently established a preserve for the cicada in a 90-acre area of land called the Magicicada Preserve, named after the species of cicada it contains. It is "the first of its kind in the world," according to Remington.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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