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I'm at my sister's place now in west Cary, along Yates Store Rd and what is that slightly high-pitched CONSTANT sound, almost like someone is doing some electrical work or construction machine? Family says it's the cicadas after spending 17 years underground! I thought cicadas had a rythym or cyclic sound that the sound escalates and then goes down again, like alternating. This is just like a white noise machine! What are these breeds of cicadas supposed to sound like?
Anyone else hear it across the Triangle? Heavier tree areas?
Yes OMG it's crazy today. That is what it sounds like!! I expected more of an undulating sound but my sister got a ring doorbell alert in Apex about the noise. I'm in Cary by Highway 55.
I got used to that sound, because we hear them here from April to July. They get louder when the temperature rises. And you know hot it is in Texas....
But too much heat or too much coolness will quiet them down a bit.
They are quiet at night where I live (no light sources at night), but individuals close to street lights can be fooled into believing it's daytime and will call all night long.
I live up in Person County and this morning was the first time I heard them. I thought someone was using a super powerful leaf blower somewhere in the distance. It's quieted down a bit this afternoon here for now. Still there, but not as loud as it was.
I'm down in SC, but they're out and getting about where I expect max volume to be.
The sound.. I disagree with the 'jackhammer' analogy.. It can get quite loud.. But, it's.. And this is my description.. Anyone whose heard them, weigh in on how accurate you find this..
I would say it's a very 'circular' rhythm. It's like a sine wave. Up, down, up, down.. Not in volume, the frequency. Oscillating. That's the best word.
It's a sound you've heard thousands of times before.. Because.. Cicadas appear every year. It's just.. They don't appear on this SCALE until once every 13 or 17 years. So.. They're just background noise that you don't really even notice other years.
I've been through.. The '87 emergence that's a 17 year cycle in Virginia, then this would be '24 here in SC, which would mean I was here for the 2011 and 1998 ones as well as ours are 13 year.
The fishing is INCREDIBLE when these suckers come out. You wouldn't think that because you'd figure the fish are satiated.. But, something hits the water and BAM! It's really good a few years afterwards as well.. I suppose the fish are well fed this year which leads to a boom population the next few years. At least, that's how it works out at my pond.
I think the Raleigh area might be right where you have BOTH broods? In which case.. Yeah.. You're gonna notice them.
They should all be gone in.. About 3 weeks or so I think.
Personally.. I think the sound is quite relaxing. Just go outside, sit back, listen and think on the wonders of nature that something like this evolved the way it did. It's really quite fascinating.
Knock on wood - not hearing them yet (fingers crossed) but they, in the last invasion, sounded exactly like the old sci-fi movies of alien invasions.
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