Cicadas, What Weird Little Bugs!

CHESTER, CT — Environmental tip from the Conservation Commission: In Chester and throughout Connecticut we have arrived at the dog days of summer. The name comes from the belief that the rising of Sirius (the dog star), the brightest star in the sky, contributes to the heat of summer. So it is time for the dog day cicadas whose mating call, a loud buzz, begins to be heard in late July. Unlike the 17 and 13-year periodic cicadas found further south, the Connecticut ones live only 2 to 3 years underground before emerging to mate and die, living 4 to 6 weeks as adults. They don’t bite or sting, but mainly eat by sucking juices from tree roots when they are underground. Their loud buzzing is a signal that the summer will soon be over.