By Craig Anderson

DOVER — Completing a life cycle that’s been 17 years in the making, a massive brood of cicadas is expected to rise from the ground this spring, mate and then die naturally or get eaten by predators.

The so-called Brood X (also known as the Great Eastern Brood) winged insects will likely emerge in May, weather depending, and their population will thin out as the spring continues.

For the cicada’s survival chances, there’s strength in numbers.

“Its evolutionary strategy is to come out all at once and inundate everything so the predators, the birds, the mammals, the copperhead snakes can eat as many as they want but when there are billions of them it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t do anything to the population,” Delaware Forest Service Forestry Administrator Michael Valenti said.

And with their emergence comes an approximately 100-decibel call that can’t be ignored. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that’s a volume that approximates an approaching subway train, car horn at 16 feet and sporting events (such as hockey playoffs and football games). Hearing loss is possible after 15 minutes of exposure, the CDC said.

“The general public is going to freak out, especially if they’re in a neighborhood where they’re all over the place,” Mr. Valenti.

While traveling in Pennsylvania 17 years ago during the last mass emergence, Mr. Valenti said he learned “they get so thick in areas where there’s a lot of oak or host trees, the roads get covered and the cars run over them and the roads actually get slick and slippery.”

That’s hardly guaranteed in Delaware, Mr. Valenti said.

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen here, but if we get a really big brood to come out in New Castle County people are going to get very scared and they’re gong to start to think the world’s going to end and it’s not, it’s just a natural life cycle,” he said.

Before succumbing to an inevitable death, the female cicada saws into small tree branches to deposit its eggs. Eventually the damaged tree branches wither and fall to the ground, eggs hatch and the larvae burrow themselves into the ground for a decade-plus stay under the soil, Mr. Valenti said.

Once they return above ground after feeding on roots, the fledgling adults are extremely vulnerable for an hour or so as they emerge from their shell and pump up their wings while readying to fly.

Birds are especially fond of cicadas in the food chain, and Mr. Valenti said copperhead snakes have been known to linger around trees while waiting to eat them as they crawl up.

University of Delaware Ornamentals IPM Extension Specialist Brian Kunkel has surmised that most of the area’s Brood X will arise in New Castle County.

“If you look at the distribution amount from 2004 and the emergence, it looks like there were limited numbers once you got to Dover and south, but anywhere between northern Delaware and around Smyrna the population could be notable,” he said.

The Brood X cicadas will be joined by the annual group of cicadas that elevate themselves every spring, adding to the noise.

While Mr. Kunkel said at least a couple hundred thousand Brood X cicadas could emerge in the First State, “a number of around a million is not out of the question.

“There’s going to be a sizable number of cicadas. You’re going to see a lot of them and you’ll definitely hear them.

“If you’re in Georgetown you might not hear or see but a handful, but Hockessin, Newark, Wilmington, based on the populations the noise will be a steady drone.

“They can (produce) up to 100 decibels of sound so they will be quite noticeable, like even when you’re inside you’ll be able to hear them.”

Author Kenton R. Hill, who’s been fascinated with insects since his youth thanks to his entomologist father, was inspired to write the children’s book “Buzzy and the Little Critters: A Curious Tale of a Cicada Invasion” to educate the youth about what’s rising from below.

“For kids today, the cicada story is a great example of a mystery of nature that makes sense when you take a moment to understand it all,” he said.

“The cicadas live outside of their tunnels for a short time and they make the most of it. And they are part of an ecosystem — an example of the interdependence of the natural world.

“Our job as people is to stop and notice, to study parts of nature and how they all interrelate to create a healthy and stable system on our earth.”

Generally speaking, Mr. Hill said “cicadas also serve mankind in special ways,” including:

• They trim off old, weak branches as eggs are laid.

• They bring air into the ground as they climb out from their underground tunnels.

• They create a rare and memorable event.

• They inspire authors, artists, and musicians.

• They are good for the economy by attracting tourists, vendors, and creating work for car washers.

• And they provide jobs for entomologists.