On top of everything else going on in the United States, they're about to be hit with a plague as well!
In a few weeks, a natural spectacle will take place across much of the United States — one that is not found anywhere else in the world. Billions of cicadas that have spent years patiently growing in complete darkness will finally emerge, perfectly in sync, for a raucous party in the sun.
It's been 17 years, and the periodical insects, also known as Brood X, are back.
When the world last glimpsed the cicadas, Facebook was brand new, theatres were showing "Spider-Man 2," and the 2004 Summer Olympics were underway.
Since then, they've been underground, eating and reproducing.
"They're in the dark, they're feeding on roots, just living their best lives until the time is right," said Matt Kasson, an associate professor at West Virginia University who studies cicadas and the fungi that zombify them. "And that's when they decide, you know what, it may be time to go up and find a partner."
Beginning in late April or early May, once the ground is warm enough, billions of Brood X cicadas will be seen across a dozen states, stretching from Illinois to the west, Georgia to the south, and New York to the northeast.
The young cicadas, called "nymphs," claw their way out of the ground and climb up to shed their skins one last time and transform into adults.
They will have only a few weeks to sing, mate and begin the cycle again.
