SALEM, Va—
Chances are, you've heard them loud and clear.
It's the time of year that a species of locust called cicadas are high in the trees and making plenty of noise, but why?
It's mating season for the insects, who spend the majority of the year underground. When the days have more sunlight in these summer months, the bugs come out of the ground to mate and cause the racket.
Roanoke College Biology Professor Rachel Collins tells WDBJ7 once the mating season is over, the adults you're hearing now will burrow back into the ground and lay their eggs before they die.
