But for those with a phobia, that is irrelevant. ‘It’s like they stare into your soul.’ Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesĬicadas cannot bite or sting they don’t even have jaws. Some will do whatever it takes to avoid it. But even for those whose experience is less severe, the sudden appearance of billions of outlandish insects can seem a cruel joke. The fear of insects, or entomophobia, is well recognized among them, and can be hugely disruptive. To get from car to door, “I’d just put a raincoat around my head and run.”Īn estimated 12.5% of US adults report a specific phobia at some point in their lives, or about 9% in a given year. “It was so debilitating: sitting in my car, looking out the window, seeing these very large cicadas flying around and feeling frozen, like I could not move.”ĭillingham, a social worker, says the experience helped her to relate to her clients with anxiety disorders. “I was totally taken by surprise,” says Michelle Dillingham of the 2004 “emergence” – the ominous term given to the cicadas’ arrival above ground. For some, it is like landing in a horror movie. “Brood X”, the largest and most widespread of the known periodical cicada groups, began emerging late last month.įor most people, the short-lived infestation falls somewhere between irritation and oddity. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPAĮvery 17 years, cicadas swarm several eastern and midwest US states, coating tree trunks and walls, bouncing off cars and people, drowning out engines with their deafening call. A cicada sits on a sidewalk in Dublin, Ohio.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |