After 17 years, cicadas set to invade in a shrill chorus

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The red-eyed cicadas of Brood X, after 17 years of hiding, will swarm the Washington metropolitan area next month and everyone from local wedding planners to park officials are bracing for the winged creatures' arrival.

As many as 1.5 million cicadas can emerge from an acre of land. For at least a month, they will litter sidewalks with their molted shells and fill the air with high-pitched -- and annoying -- mating screams.

"People in our office are looking forward to it, but those planning outdoor weddings may not have such a sense of humor," said Sue duPont, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. "If you have an outdoor event planned between May and July, you may want to reconsider."

The 1-inch-long flying insects are harmless. They do not bite or sting. They do very little damage to mature trees. In fact, the adult cicada doesn't eat at all.

But, "people can expect a lot of noise," Miss duPont said.

The adult cicada, who lives underground for 17 years, survives about six weeks above ground, after it digs its way from the damp and dark soil toward the sunlight. During its brief stay, it climbs a tree, sheds its skin, mates, lays eggs (if it's a female) and dies.

But "they are clumsy flyers," Miss duPont said. That means, the six-legged creatures will bump into joggers or pedestrians or buzz their way through open windows into homes or cars.

Outdoor house painters and wood stainers should postpone any outdoor projects until later in the summer since the wings or carcasses might get stuck on finished projects.

Those planning events like outdoor weddings should be prepared to find a cicada or two swimming in an unprotected punch bowl.

Wedding coordinator Carol Marino said last week she thought about creating a special cicada cocktail to serve up at this summer's events, as a joke, of course.