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NYMPHS EMERGE
Cicadas live for 17 years, approximately 8 to 10 inches below ground, feeding
on juice from tree roots. When the ground temperature reaches 64 degrees
and after a soaking rain, the nymphs come to the surface to shed their juvenile
skin. |
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OFF WITH THE OLD
After finding a suitable place to lock their foreclaws, usually on tree bark,
nymphs split their exoskeleton and begin the process of becoming an adult.
Each hangs upside down to shed its skin, then does a sit-up, grabbing hold
of the shell and pulling free. Fluid flows through its wings and expands
them to full size. After the cicada darkens and its exoskeleton hardens,
it is ready to mate. The process takes about two hours. |
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AFTER MATING
The female will lay 400-600 eggs, each about the size of a grain of rice. In
new-growth tree branches the thickness of a pencil, the female cuts a series
of small slits to deposit her eggs. In each, she deposits 10 to 14 eggs.
About two weeks later, the adult cicada dies. |
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THE CYCLE
REPEATS
The nymphs hatch after six to eight weeks. They then fall out of the tree and
burrow under ground. The first two weeks are spent feeding on grass roots, before
they dig down about 12-17 inches, where they tunnel and feed on small tree roots
for the next 17 years. |
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