Trillions of cicadas will sweep across the US this spring (Picture: Getty)
Sixteen states across the US will be swamped by raunchy cicadas in a mass mating event over the coming weeks as trillions of the tiny insects emerge all at the same time.
Two different broods of cicadas, one that lives on a 13-year cycle (Brood XIX), and the other on a 17-year cycle (Brood XIII), will appear from the ground simultaneously in a rare event that happens every 221 years.
And those in the mid-Western states of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa are in for a creepy treat – because those states are home to both broods, meaning double the creepy crawly fun.
Brood XIII, confusingly the 17-year brood, last appeared in 2007, and has four different species to its name – they will begin to appear in late April to early May.
However, Brood XIX, also known as the Northern Illinois Brood, will be far more prolific across the US, sweeping across the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The brood was last seen in 2011 and will begin its emergence near the middle of May.
Cicadas will erupt across eastern, central and mid-Western US states – with three home to both broods (Picture: Calvin Dexter)
There are many different type of cicada – the 13- and 17-year bugs have bulging red eyes (Picture: Getty)
The dual emergence will almost drown out any peace for those living in states from the Midwest to the Southeast, as these bugs are known to emit a high-pitched buzz that can reach up to 100 decibels.
Unfortunately for these little creatures, they only live for around six more weeks once they reach the surface.
First, they need to shed their exoskeletons and wait until their adult skin hardens – then they can begin to mate. Which they do, literally billions all at once. Loudly.