The invasion of cicadas in the United States, in pictures

1Two cicadas before mating in Maryland's Takoma Park on May 25.

Billions of periodical cicadas - a species of flying cicadas - are emerging in the United States.

The phenomenon will be especially notable on the East Coast, from Tennessee to New York.

Chip Somodevilla AFP

2This natural phenomenon occurs when nymphs - insects in their juvenile state - come to the surface to mate, ovar and die.

In the photo, University of Connecticut biologist Chris Simon, during a field trip to study these insects in Blairsville, Georgia, on May 22.

Carlos Barria Reuters

3The insects are part of a group called in English Brood X (Generation X) —also known as “the great generation of the East” - although only the males screech in search of a female.

This sound is the mating song, for which they flex a drum-like organ called a timpani.

Carlos Barria Reuters

4Arthropods surface to mate after completing their maturation cycle and, as a love call, the males emit a deafening noise, comparable in decibels to that produced by a powerful motorcycle.

Chip Somodevilla AFP

5A macro lens captures one of these insects in detail in Maryland's College Park.

Studies have shown that cicadas can perceive time cycles because they are connected to the roots of trees.

Root fluid movement slows down in the winter and speeds up during the growing season.

Carlos Barria Reuters

6A net covers a tree to protect it from the massive arrival of cicadas in Washington on May 17.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a campaign on social networks so that the population does not spray them, since insecticides can affect other living beings.

Carlos Barria Reuters

7Cicadas spend most of their lives underground feeding on tree roots, before tunneling to the surface.

Once outside, generally in green areas, they head en masse towards the trees.

Carlos Barria Reuters

8 Before the massive arrival of insects, some have chosen to eat them.

In the picture, a woman tastes a cicada during the "Cigarrafest" in Crofton, Maryland, on May 17.

Those who have tried them say that their taste resembles tofu.

Chip Somodevilla AFP

9Chef Bun Lai is one of the promoters of including insects in the American diet as a more sustainable source of protein.

In the picture, the cook prepares some sushi rolls with grilled cicadas in Fort Totten Park in Washington.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS AFP

10Bun Lai makes a grilled cicada rice roll.

The chef promotes opening the conversation about alternatives to livestock and industrial agriculture due to the impact they have on health and the environment.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS AFP

11A woman tastes a grilled cicada skewer during the "Cigarrafest" in Crofton, Maryland.

The invasion of these insects is also a great feast for spiders and other predators, such as mice, birds or snakes.

Chip Somodevilla AFP

12A month after being on the surface, the cicadas die.

If the buzzes of the males take effect on the females, they will have mated and will have left huge amounts of eggs in the branches of the trees.

In late summer or early fall, a new generation will head underground to feed on tree roots.

Carlos Barria Reuters