Cicadas take over Capitol Hill after 17-year absence
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports.
Brood X periodical cicadas are reportedly “peeing” on communities around the eastern United States.
The trillions of red-eyed insects are emerging in parks, backyards and wooded areas across approximately 15 states, sending residents abuzz.
A new report from The Washington Post highlighted the issue of frequent cicada “urination,” particularly on warmer days when it falls from cicadas on tree branches “like a gentle rain shower” of “watery tree sap.”
An adult cicada in Washington, Thursday, May 6, 2021. Trillions of cicadas are about to emerge from 15 states in the U.S. East. The cicadas of Brood X, trillions of red-eyed bugs singing loud sci-fi-sounding songs, can seem downright creepy. Especially since they come out from underground only every 17 years. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Fortunately, the excretion is not a danger, much like the cicadas themselves.
The University of Maryland Department of Entomology’s associate professor Daniel Gruner told the Post on Tuesday that adult cicadas are the most active on the hottest days because they have the ability to “tap into the dilute, watery xylem fluid of deciduous trees.”
Across the board, the advice to Americans was to put on a hat to shield from “cicada rain” – fortunately only a concern through the Fourth of July.
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