Given the quantity of these “17-year locusts” (exaggerated just a little: cicadas) that we have around our house, we must be in the prime area infested by these insects in Ohio. These large pests, which look like 3″ super-sized flies, make a tremendous amount of noise. A group of cicadas “singing” together can reach 90 decibels, which is as loud as a lawn mower.
In this second photo, you can see a few hundred of these insects covering the branches on one of our Bradford pear trees. They appear to be fond of certain trees, such as maples and ash, that are easy for the females to slit the bark and lay their eggs.
The 15-second video below provides a view as well as the sound made by the local “cicada choir”.