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The cicadas of the so-called Brut X can make a number of different and very loud sounds
Photo: Carolyn Kaster / AP
They only appear every 17 years, but then they become clearly noticeable: Loud cicadas in Union County in the US state of Georgia are apparently the reason for increased emergency calls.
The fire department announced.
The control center of the fire brigade called on citizens via Facebook to ensure before calling the emergency number that it was actually a car or house alarm - and not similar-sounding noises made by insects.
These could produce a whole range of different and very loud sounds, it said.
At the same time, the authority gave the all-clear: the insects are harmless to humans.
"They can't sting or bite, but they can mistake you for a branch."
"Like flying saucers"
In the agency's posting, a Facebook user said about the cicadas: "The sound reminds me of the sound effects in very old science fiction films." Another user referred to the science fiction series "The Invaders" from the 1960s -Years.
"The cicadas sound like the flying saucers that are about to land on the show," he wrote.
The cicadas of the so-called brood X occur in the east of the USA.
They are notorious for their noise level, which can reach 90 decibels and more - comparable to a lawn mower.
The males woo a female partner for reproduction with deafening chirping. Like the larvae of many other insects, the Brood X-Cicadas burrow into the earth as nymphs. They only reappear from the earth after 17 years. Then they molt and usually fly into trees to mate. The animals that are now appearing were thus conceived in the spring of 2004.
Experts expect billions of insects in 15 US states to peak.
On average, there should be one and a half million cicadas on the area of just over half a football field.
The Brut-X center is to be located around the US capital Washington DC this year.
There, unusually cold weather presumably delayed the massive occurrence of insects, which was originally expected for mid-May.
The cicadas only crawl out of the ground when the ground warms up to around 18 degrees.
tfb / dpa