Billions of cicadas are about to take over the Northeast

There are billions of cicada insects headed towards the Northeast.
(Image credit: iStock)

Seventeen years ago, President Bill Clinton was acquitted in impeachment proceedings, Bill Gates had just become the richest man in the world due to skyrocketing Microsoft stock, SpongeBob SquarePants debuted, and billions of cicadas buried themselves into the ground beneath the Northeastern United States. While no one will exactly be bringing the '90s back anytime soon, the 17-year cycle cicadas are about to reemerge for the first time into a totally different world.

As temperatures warm, billions of cicadas will begin to crawl out of the ground in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, Fox News reports. The insects will complete their lifecycles after calling for, and finding, mates, then die after about a month or a month and a half. Three different species make up 2016's "Brood V."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.