Cicadas Ascend Onto North Branford Home

While most people in Connecticut were aware that the cicadas were ready to emerge after their 17-year stay underground, very few probably expected them to rise from the ground in their backyard.

When North Branford's Jeff DelGaudio took his dogs out just two nights ago, they started excitedly sniffing and pawing at the ground. Upon grabbing a flashlight, he saw the reason for their excitement – countless cicadas burrowing up out of the ground.

He called his wife Sherry to come and see and since then, the couple has learned a lot about the visiting insects (check out the video where Sherry explains the cicada's life cycle and more). Experts from Yale University have visited and explained to the DelGaudios that they weren't expecting the emergence until June, calling their home a "hot spot."

Sherry, a lifelong North Branford resident, said this is her third cycle of emerging cicadas, recalling the swarms being so thick when she was in grade school in 1979 that she had to run from the bus to the house. 

The next emergence – in 1996 – "wasn't as bad," she said, but judging from her past experience and the number of cicadas crawling on the ground and up trees, as well as hanging from leaves and bushes, she's guessing the 2013 emergence will be reminiscent of her childhood. 

"I think this is going to be another bad year from what we're seeing so far," she said.

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More on the Cicada Emergence

• Cicadas Emerging: How to Keep Your Pets Safe
  
• Could Cicadas Be the Perfect Summer Snack? (and Jeff said, no, they have not tried to eat any!)