FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- We're nearing the time of year when a group of pesky bugs will be everywhere. Cicadas are a type of insect that we see each summer, but this year is unique because the periodical cicadas will also emerge. They're the same type of insect, but the periodical cicadas only come out every 13 years.
They sound they make is not so pleasant, but you'll be hearing it within the next month.
"These things will emerge in huge numbers and the males will call trying to attract a mate, and the calling will be absolutely deafening when there are large numbers of cicadas emerging," said curator of the University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum Jeffrey Barnes.
Barnes said we see them and hear them every year, but this year there will many more than normal.
"We do have annual cicadas. Usually they appear in July or August during the so-called 'dog days' of summer, and therefore they're called 'dog day cicadas,'" Barnes said.
But the periodical cicadas could emerge as early as April, and will hang around for most of the summer.
"They emerge from the soil. The nymphs live underground feeding on tree roots for 13 years in this area. The northern periodical cicadas have 17-year cycles," Barnes said.
Many people find them to be creepy looking, and the sound they make could certainly haunt your dreams, but Barnes said they have no interest in humans.
"No reason to be scared of either the periodical cicadas or the dog day cicadas," Barnes said.
He said if you live in a wooded area and you've heard cicadas in the past, be aware that they're coming again and they will be very loud.