I'd be interested to know what steps drivers are taking to prepare for the onslaught of cicadas here in the northeast. Will you store your RX-8 and miss out on the best month of weather of the year? Plan to wash your car every day? Stocking up on bug remover? Applying your 50th coat of Zaino? I'll probably just drive a little less and wash a little more.

 

Curious. Are you looking for a run of the 17 year Cicadas or just normal summer insect swarms? I have seen an outburst of the 17 yr Cicadas in western OH / western WV (Marietta/Parkersburg) and you needed goggles to walk the sidewalks not to mention ear plugs to sleep at night. But that was around 1981 and first gen 7 would simply slip between them on the highway...

 

We will have our 17 year swarm this year.

I'll drive just like I always do.

 

I'll admit it. I'm scared. Here's excerpts from an article I posted at my work from the Wasington Post.
"Infestation of Brood X Cicadas Forecast: Millions of cicadas are expected to infest the nations capital and parts of Maryland and Virginia this spring. ... this variety, know as brood X, invades every 17 years. ... experts say their coming will be of BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS."
I'm garaging my RX-8, and driving my Grand Prix. That way if I 'can't see the forest for the cicadas' at least I won't feel so bad about having millions of bug guts as a paint job.

 

I dig a quick google and found many articles but this one seems particularly useful.

http://www.msj.edu/cicada/

 

In fact, I learned from this site that cicadas are Atkins friendly... Yummmm

 

I remember these from 17 years ago, they'll be back in Nashville this year, I didn't drive at the time, but I can remember skateboarding and the bugs just bouncing off you. I also remember how loud they were.

 

I know of some people who are freaking out in the DC area. One guy is sending his family away for a couple of months....

 

Wash a little LESS and they'll stay away from you. Good idea about the Zaino, though. Wonder if we can get Canzoomer to import or devise a Cicada Deflector -- put it out on a rod a couple of feet ahead of the nose. Let aerodynamics deflect the rest ....

 

I have a friend who completely cleaned out her garage so there are no nasty surprises later, and I think is really planning to wear a full-body suit while she's outside, to keep them off of her.

I am going to try to use a car cover, but I don't think there's much you can do while driving.

Although, from what I've heard, VA isn't supposed to have as bad a time as MD and DC.

 

I'm in a neighborhood with lots of big, old trees -- prime cicada habitat! Although I have a cover, which I hope will keep curious bugs at bay, I have to say that it's times like these when I wish I had a garage. No full body suit for me -- I'm planning a cicada immersion program whereupon I sit on the porch and introduce myself to the swarm. Perhaps I can negotiate with them to stay away from the car!

 

I'm planning on walking around with a tennis racket. That way I can work on my forearm and have some fun protecting my car... although I've heard that you could swing a toothpick and hit one there's going to be so many of them...

All kidding aside I'm glad I have a garage and a 2nd car that I can drive around in (see my avatar).

 

So have any of you see the Brood at your cities yet ?

 

I've seen maybe 2 single bugs of the brood this year so far. They aren't out in full swing yet. But you can go lifting up rocks and see them under the ground. I was here 17 years ago when they were here the last time. Talk about swarm. It was crazy.

 

I'm quite interested at animials/insects and their migrations patterns. If it is not too much trouble (provided it is safe), can someone please take some photos for me to see what a REAL brood looks like ? thanks !

 

I'm sure I'll have plenty opportunities to take pictures of the billions of insects with my digital camrea. When they hit I'll post them for you.

 

will your cars look like this soon?

 

Very very likely. And maybe even worse. I sure hope they don't have some sort of weird blood that eats paint and clear bras..... <a little sarcasm to start off the afternoon>

 

Arghh! That's scary-looking! I'm hiding inside all summer

 

Crikey! Is that photo for real?!

 

Yes, but it's not from cicadas. It's from locusts in Australia if I remember correctly. But if the cicadas come out like they expect (1.5 million per acre) our cars really will look like that during the height of the season.

 

I have heard some mention of this during the local news broadcasts. When are the swarms expected? Think it might be time to purchase an RX-8 Front Mask? Trouble with the Masks, you cannot wash them apparently. ( wipe down only )

 

The beginning of it is starting now around here. There are already holes in the ground behind the store, and the trees are alive with the sound of... cicadas. The worst of it is supposed to be in 2 weeks. It all depends on the ground temperature. They come out with it reaches 68 degress or something. So they are just now starting to come out in the warmer areas. Further north they aren't expected for weeks.

 

Actually, the peak emergence in the DC area was last week.
The height of their "swarming" is supposed to be right now.

I was driving around during the last "swarm" and it was a mess.

I've seen a couple of areas around DC that have quite a few of them getting about. However, my neighborhood was landscaped after the last brood X emergence, so we have absolutely none around here at all.

 

I haven't seen or heard one yet. Even the frogs in the ponds around here are still quiet - so I think we have a week or two more to wait.
I can pretty much give everyone 24 hours notice. The way I see it, the cicadas will show up on the very day I get my 8 out of the body shop. They're going to call me a day ahead of when it will be ready - so I'll let you know that the cicadas will show up the next day (just in time to swarm in front of my long awaited diminsished value RX8)