As if their cacophonous symphony wasn’t enough, complaints of the newly released Brood X cicadas peeing on unsuspecting onlookers have appeared.
Paula Shrewsbury, an entomology professor at the University of Maryland, told the Washington Post, “It feels like when a rain just starts, and you get a small drop or two and say, ‘Is it starting to rain?’ ”
To cool off, cycle insects drink an excess of the “watery xylem fluid of deciduous trees,” which forces them to “pee liberally,” according to fellow university entomologist Daniel Gruner.
This micturate monsoon is expected to become more prevalent as the periodical cicadas awaken from their 17-year hibernation in droves throughout 14 US states.
Worst of all, they’re most likely deliberately peeing on people.
“They will squirt fluids at other males, birds, or people,” Dr. Gene Kritsky, the dean of behavioral and natural sciences at Cincinnati’s Mount St. Joseph University, told WLWT5. “They are not urinating on you but trying to ward you away.”
Fortunately, Shrewsbury guarantees that periodic cicada pee is generally “specks of wet, and it never gets any stronger than that.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Post says that specialists urge anybody visiting Brood X territory to wear a hard helmet or bring an umbrella.
It’s also a good idea to pack earplugs, as the cicada’s siren cry can reach a deafening 100 decibels.
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